North Tongu Member of Parliament (MP), Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has called on other MPs to advocate for the discontinuation of the purchase of vehicles for MPs through government loans.
This follows massive backlash from the public after the Deputy Finance Minister, Abena Osei Asare, laid a document on the Floor of Parliament requesting approval of a $28 million loan facility from the National Investment Bank for the initiative.
In a post on Facebook, Mr Ablakwa said that MPs, who need car loans, should be allowed to procure their own vehicles through private loan arrangements.
He wrote: “I honestly hope many colleague MPs will agree with me so we join forces and get Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to withdraw his MPs’ car loan agreement from Parliament. As MPs, let us also boldly confront and discontinue the practice of government loans to purchase vehicles for MPs.
“If the executive branch of government does not have the resources to provide duty vehicles for MPs as it does for MMDCEs, CEOs of State Institutions/SOEs, Ministers, Judges, Civil Servants, Security Services, and so on and so forth, then MPs who need car loans should be allowed to make their own private car loan arrangements with the banks just as most private sector workers do,” he said.
Mr Ablakwa explained that MPs securing their own loans will require that government stops the monthly deductions of MPs’ salaries to pay the $28 million loan.
He stated that MPs will then be free to broker individual car loan deals based on their salary structure, constituency terrain and other personal preferences.
The North Tongu MP wrote: “MPs have been deliberately thrown under the bus and subjected to needless opprobrium one too many.”
Below is his post on Facebook: