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Presidential Candidate for Independent People’s Party (IPP), Kofi Akpaloo says his administration will abolish the Constitutional mandate which enforce Members of Parliament, the President and his political appointees and other public service holders to be given ex-gratia at the end of every four years in office.

Article 71 clause (1) states that the salaries and allowances payable, and the facilities and privileges available to-

(a) the Speaker and Deputy Speakers and Members of Parliament;

(b) the Chief Justice and other Justices of the Superior Court of Judicature;

(c) the Auditor-General, the Chairman and Deputy Chairmen of the Electoral Commission, the Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice and His Deputies, and the District Assemblies Common Fund Administrator;

(d) the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and the other members of –

(i) National Council for Higher Education howsoever described;

(ii) the Public Services Commission;
(iii) the National Media Commission;

(iv) the Lands Commission and

(v) the National Commission for Civic Education; being expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund, shall be determined by the President on the recommendations of a committee of not more than five persons appointed by the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Council of State.

Clause (2) also states that the salaries and allowances payable, and the facilities available, to the President, Vice President, the chairman and other members of the Council of the State, Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers, being the expenditures charged on the Consolidated Fund, shall be determined by Parliament on the recommendation of the committee referred to in clause (1) of this article.

Clause (3) states that for the purposes of this article, and except as otherwise provided in this constitution, “salaries” includes allowances, facilities and privileges and retiring benefits or awards.

It was based on these provisions that the former President set up the Chinery Hesse Committee to determine the retirement package for him and other public office holders, but the final report issued by the committee became a subject of debate about its authenticity.

Whilst some members of Parliament insisted that the Chinerry Hesse report was brought to the National Assembly for ratification, others denied the claim. The claims and counter denials among members of the House compelled President Mills to suspend the Committee’s report and set up another one, this time headed by an eminent Economist, Dr. Ishmael Yamson, which has since presented its report.

But Kofi Akpaloo in an exclusive interview with Peacefmonline.com stated that his government will abolish the retirement benefits, popularity referred to as ex-gratia in order to save the country over GH¢300 million every four years.

“IPP government will instead invest the ex-gratia monies directly into profitable ventures to create over 30,000 jobs for the numerous unemployed graduates in Ghana,” he assured.

Without stating the kind of jobs his government will create with the ex gratia monies to reduce the employment among the youth, he insisted it is time to abolish the retirement benefits for the people who voluntarily offered themselves up to serve and channel the monies to ease the unemployed situation in the country.