The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has expressed his support for amending Article 71 of the Constitution to abolish ex-gratia payments.
Speaking at a public forum in Kumasi, Mr Bagbin said the system has become unnecessary.
He said the system, which was intended to prevent corruption among public servants and political officeholders, is no longer serving its purpose.
“The concept was to assure them, because of the importance of the position they occupy, and the decisions they take on your behalf, the concept was to assure them, don’t think about yourself, think about the people you represent because, after your office, we will take care of you. So, it was to assist us in containing corruption.
“Unfortunately, in practice, it has not served its purpose. It has not been able to assist us to curb or contain corruption. And so when I made an attempt to contest as a presidential candidate, I announced that if elected as president, I was going to ensure that that article was amended from the constitution. So, I agree totally with anybody who comes to say that we should do away with Article 71 of the Constitution. It hasn’t served its purpose. There’s no use maintaining it,” the Speaker said.
Mr Bagbin also said the concept is not for members of parliament.
“The ex-gratia is not for members of parliament and it’s not even ex-gratia, it’s gratuity,” he explained.
“There’s a difference between ex-gratia and gratuity, and it’s not for members of parliament alone. It cuts through a category of public servants and political officeholders, including the auditor general, the chairpersons of all the constitutional commissions, ministers of state, the presidency, the judiciary, and all others. It’s not just members of parliament.”
The committee was also tasked with considering the salaries and allowances of political officeholders or any other offices the committee deemed fit per the constitution.
Speaking at the inauguration of the committee, President Akufo-Addo said, “I must indicate that in recent times, [there’s been] a lot of public discourse surrounding the remuneration of public officers, except the primary of those of Article 71 office holders, and whether or not, notwithstanding the constitutional imperatives were deserving of what is being paid to us.”
“In view of the challenges currently confronting our national economy. It might well be that your work should also focus on these concerns and make recommendations on how they should be addressed,” President Akufo-Addo added.