Former MPs Should Stop Demanding for Ex-gratia Arrears Amid Pandemic - Ablakwa
Okudzeto Ablakwa suggested that, the time is not right to agitate for such payments.
Jonas Danquah 
A Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has chided former Members of Parliament (MPs) for demanding for payment of salary arrears from the government, while the country fights the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The North Tongu legislator threw his weight behind the Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo for rejecting any such payment during this “traumatic time”.
Okudzeto Ablakwa via a twitter post urged the Forum for Former Members of Parliament (FFMP) pushing for the payment of about GH¢29.7 million salary arrears, to immediately abort the agenda.
The Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo had earlier implored the Chief of Staff, Frema Osei Opare to disregard a request from the FFMP asking for their salary arrears to be paid.
Frema Osei Opare had asked Daniel Domelovo to conduct an audit verification on the request of the aggrieved former legislators.
But Domelovo in response asked the Chief of Staff, who is part of the MPs, to ignore the request.
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Mr Domelevo citing Article 71(1) of the Constitution said that law provides that the salaries and allowances payable, in this regard “shall be determined by the President on the recommendations of a committee.”
Mr Domelevo also suggested that the claims by the FFMP are invalid considering the rejection of the Chinery Hesse Committee report for 2005 to 2009.
He further asserted that, it may also amount to an abuse of power or conflict of interest, in making additional “payment (20% salary increase per annum for four years) to former Members of Parliament (covering a period of 10 to 14 years ago) especially when some of them are now the executive,” Mr. Domelevo indicated in his letter.
Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu has however disagreed with the reasons the Auditor-General gave for rejecting the payments.
“I think it is really an unfortunate comment to come from the Auditor General. Indeed with respect to our side, Members of Parliament who would otherwise come for consideration if anything should be done would have been only three or four. On the other [Minority] side, we have many more.”
