General News of Saturday, 10 July 2021
Source: 3news.com
2021-07-10
Daniel Okyem Aboagye, Former Member of Parliament for Bantama Constituency
Former Member of Parliament for Bantama Constituency Daniel Okyem Aboagye has suggested that spouses of presidents must by default be integrated into the Gender Ministry.
He explained with the allocation of the Gender Ministry as a portfolio for presidents’ spouses, their proposed salaries and consequently formalized by Parliament will be justified.
Mr Okyem Aboagye’s comments come in the wake of Parliament’s approval of the Professor Yaa Ntiamoah-Baidu Committee’s recommendation.
He is of the view that “presidents’ spouses cannot be paid in vacuum so we have to align them to ministerial portfolio then we can assess and measure them in their performances. This I believe will whip them in line and juice maximum output from them”.
Speaking on Akoma FM‘s weekend political show Wonsom, the former Bantama MP told host of the show Aduanaba Kofi Asante Ennin that “this will help reduce the cost of government business and ensure the public purse is protected”.
Parliamentary approval of the recommendation by Ntiamoah-Baidu’s committee has been greeted with massive disgust by a wide section of Ghanaians as some explained spouses of Presidents have no business with government hence they cannot be classified as Article 71 holders.
Leader of the main opposition party John Dramani Mahama has also shot down the idea.
No legal basis to pay First and Second Ladies – MahamaMost of the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have also condemned the move to streamline first and second ladies on a salary structure.
Mr Okyem Aboagye argues, however, that “already the presidents’ spouses are taking allowances and other undisclosed offers so once we align them to a portfolio, their expenditure will be capped with a budget and their activities can be measured, assessed and monitored to ensure value for money”.