Patrick Yaw Boamah, the Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central
• Patrick Yaw Boamah believes the backlash the issue has generated is unwarranted
• He holds that the MPs will pay back the loan so why should they be criticized
• He wants colleague MPs to reject the offer
Patrick Yaw Boamah, the Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central has said that the backlash that has greeted the $20 million car loan for members of parliament should give MPs a reason to reject it.
The Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Finance Committee is unhappy that the loan facility which would be repaid by the MPs has generated so much anger from Ghanaians.
He, therefore wishes that the 275 MPs will reject the loan and spare themselves such criticism.
“If I had my way, I would tell my colleagues to reject the facility for the simple reason that all the other arms of government, vehicles are procured for them without going through the process where the media is always on the back of MPs for contracting a loan.
“If the public thinks that MPs do not deserve a vehicle to ride in, we should know, so we know our limitations and what the Finance Ministry can do to support our work.”
Unlike Yaw Boamah who wants the MPs to turn down the loan facility, Rockson Nelson-Dafeamekpor, the Member of Parliament for South Dayi insists they deserve the facility.
He said that contrary to public opinion that all MPs have some vehicles, some of his colleague conduct their businesses using the ride hailing app Uber.
“Check the condition of service for the Electoral Commissioner. She has about 5 military officers following her in two land cruisers. She is an article 71 officeholder. She was not given money or a loan to buy these vehicles. I don’t have five military men following me.
“Supreme Court judges have land cruisers, they were not given loans to buy their land cruisers. Ministers of State have land cruisers or official vehicles. Yesterday you saw in the papers that another facility is been taken by the executive to acquire official vehicles for members of the council of state.
“MPs are the only category of article 71 holders who are not given an official vehicle. So if the agreement is that we are given a loan to purchase official vehicles, I think it is very wrong. My position is that the government should take steps and get us official vehicles to perform the functions of our office in the next four years like it is done for all the other categories,” .
The $20million loan facility has become a subject for public discourse after Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta tabled it in Parliament.
The offer which is to be considered by the Finance Committee of the house will see each MP get $100,000 as car loan.