Ghana:MPs criticize think-tank over calls to scrap Common fund

By Papisdaff Abdullah

Some Ghanaian Members of Parliament have angrily shot down calls by the President of IMANI Africa Franklin Cudjoe over calls for an immediate end to the disbursement of the MPs common fund.

The think-tank in its latest report on the proliferation of new districts and constituencies in Ghana wants the government to discontinue the payment of the funds to the lawmakers.

IMANI claims the disbursement is a drain on the resources of the district assemblies.

According to IMANI, the MPs common fund is a waste of money and an excuse of the MP to perpetuate himself/herself in power but not necessarily to do the most important job which is making laws.

“What we’re going to do is to keep insisting…we’re going to meet the DCEs and MMDCEs in another meeting and show them exactly why we think that the MPs common fund is a waste of money.

“It’s actually an excuse of the MP to perpetuate himself/herself in power but not necessarily to do the most important job which is making laws. MPs are not development agents… they’re development agents to the extent that they’re making sensible laws for us. They shouldn’t be in the gutters digging holes and doing stuff like that, that’s the job of the DCEs.”

But Ibrahim Ahmed, Deputy Minority chief whip in Ghana’s Parliament and MP for Banda constituency says the suggestion by IMANI to scrap their Common Fund is borne out of ignorance.

“I technically don’t agree with IMANI but it may be due to the fact that he (Franklin Cudjoe, IMANI President) hasn’t been to Parliament before…it is not only a common fund, it is an emergency fund that is the meaning.”

His colleague from the Majority side and MP for Manso Adubia Yaw Frimpong added that he is equally disappointed about the IMANI boss’ proposal.

“He is the owner of a Think Tank, he should go down and conduct a survey…and identify that small amount that is given to the MP the kind of thing that MP is able to do with that 5 percent…that will tell whether this thing must be scrapped or not.”