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“Promise to pay Assembly members unconstitutional, deceptive”- Minister

Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama has described former President John Dramani Mahama’s campaign promise to pay assembly members if he is given the nod to become President again as unconstitutional, empty and very deceptive.

Date Created : 8/27/2020 : Story Author : Emmanuel Frimpong/Ghanadistricts.com

According to the minister, the campaign promise made by the former President can only be achieved, after a careful stakeholder consultation and a subsequent constitutional amendment, adding that the current 1992 constitution does not make any provision for assembly members to be paid salaries.

It will be recalled that, John Mahama in his 3-day tour of the Oti Region tasked government to see to the proper remuneration of Assembly members in the country.

However, Hajia Alima Mahama who was on Asempa FM’s Eko Si Sen political talk show to highlight some manifesto achievements by the ruling NPP questioned Mr. Mahama and the NDC’s moral right to talk about remuneration for Assembly members, since the same party failed to honour its 2012 manifesto promise to increase salaries for Assembly members when it won the elections.

“2012 NDC had it in their manifesto to increase salaries of Assembly members but they never addressed that, they never even discussed it when they won power in 2012”, the minister noted.

On issues of support for Assembly members, she explained that both past and present governments have always supported assembly members to better represent their Electoral Areas at the district assembly level. She referred to the provision of motorbikes by government as part of efforts to ease their stress in the discharge of their duties.

Touching on some fulfilled 2016 manifesto promises by President Akufo-Addo and the NPP, the Minister noted that her government had performed comparatively very well in the sector of local governance.

According to her, the President’s promise to increase to 3 percent, allocation from the District Assemblies common fund to persons with disability has been fulfilled.

Government, she added, has also carried out on its vital registration exercise, capacitated the birth and death registry and has started digitalization of land valuation at District levels among others.