J.J’s Men had houses as ex-gratia award

Some Members of Parliament (MPs) in the 1st Parliament of the 4th Republic had as part of their ex-gratia benefits, houses built by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT). The houses were offered to the MPs at Sakumono, near Tema in the Greater Accra Region.

The situation which created a serious stand-off between the old and new MPs was compelling enough for then government led by former President Jerry John Rawlings to arrange the purchase of the flats for the former MPs with their end of service benefits or awards.

The MPs were supposed to have earned huge sums of money as part of their ex-gratia. The cash component of the award was used to off-set the cost of the SNNIT flats.

The new MPs, some of who were from the remote parts in the country had no immediate accommodation in Accra and were put in hotels and guest houses at the expense of the State, until the SSNIT put up other houses for them.

With the set precedent, information suggests that other MP occupants of the SNNIT houses also refused to vacate the Sakumono SSNIT flats although they lost their seats in Parliament. Other information indicates that some of the MPs who had been in the house for four or three terms have constantly been collecting every other benefit, including luxurious cars that come with the start and close of any other Parliament.

There is no official ceiling as to whether an MP who has been allocated a car during a particular tenure of office should be given another car during his re-election into Parliament. The MPs, the paper gathers, take advantage of the lull to acquire all benefits which otherwise should be given to only new MPs.

It would be recalled that at the beginning of the last Parliament, Hon. Alban Bagbin asked Ghanaians who were opposed to the allocation of cars to re-elected MPs to be circumspect in their criticism, submitting that the cars were not meant for their personal comfort, but to effectively help them dispatch their duties as MPs.

This was after a popular uproar was garnered to kick against the decision. In the estimation of Ghanaians, the older MPs who had taken a number of cars due to their longer stay in the House were being greedy in their request for new cars.

Hon. Bagbin could not explain whether the previous cars allocated to them were in bad use. Our investigations however indicate that some of the MPs who have been in the House for instance, continuously three years, have cars allocated to them by Parliament still in good shape.

As prescribed by the Greenstreet report, on ex-gratia award for the Executive and Legislature, then President Rawlings, who was the head of the Executive, was supposed to have been given a car aside other benefits.

However reports had it that he took away 13 cars and three houses, aside a recommended monthly allowance of ¢35 million (G¢35,000).He however returned some of the cars after popular disagreement over the decision.

MPs of the 1st Parliament of the 4th Republic were members of the Progressive Alliance that comprised of the National Democratic Congress (NDC); the National Convention Party (NCP) and the Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere Party (EGLE).

The Majority side was led by Mr. J.H. Owusu Acheampong of the NDC; Dr. Owusu Agyekum for the NCP as the Minority leader. The only representative of the EGLE party, Owuraku Amofa joined the majority NDC.

The Majority Chief Whip was the late Mr. Albert Bosumtwi-Sam with Mr. Opoku Preko as the Minority Chief Whip. The late Madam Hawa Yakubu Ogede was an independent candidate who remained neutral during deliberations.

With the boycott of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 1992 Parliamentary elections, Parliament limped on one foot with no proper opposition, although the NCP, a member of the Progressive Alliance, with five MPs operated a superficial role as opposition in Parliament. The NCP MPs included Dr. Owusu Agyekum, Mr. Opoku Preko and Madam Mary Ankomah.

Credit: TODAY newspaper