News:
June 28, 2018
The Bekwai Member of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu has said the financial demand on lawmakers put them in a position wanting to take advantage of every opportunity to meet the demand of their constituents.
According to the Bekwai lawmaker, this is accounting for reasons why most of the time MPs are not seen on the floor attending to legislative duties.
He further noted that for an MP to survive and come back to the House, “you cannot run away from financial demands”, he lamented.
Parents are seeking money from an MP to pay school fees, students are also demanding for money to pay hostel fees, whiles school boys are demanding money for football and Jersey.
At the same constituency, executives would come to the MP for money to set up a business, at every level you turn there is demand on you, so if you see MPs chasing every opportunity, it is simple because there are huge demands on them.
“If it were to be for the MP and his family they do not need that much money, but regrettably, what MPs go through to satisfy constituent is not recognized, when we get money we even forget about our wives and children as law makers ”, he said.
He noted that when the pressure is taken off legislators, they can focus in the House and do their work as lawmakers.
Those in the Executive should fix roads with the money we have approved for them; Ministers and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), he lamented.
“If the money had been given to you to fix the roads and you do not do it, do you come to hold me responsible for that”?
The media should assist MPs to be able to do what they have to do helping to take the pressure off them, let the people focus on development issues with their respective Executive arms of government, he said.
By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com