Consider To Pay Assembly Members From Consolidated Fund Dormaahene Appeals To President Akufo-Addo
The President of Bono Regional House of Chiefs who doubles as the Paramount Chief of Dormaa Traditional Area, Osagyefo Osedeayo Dr. Nana Agyemang Badu I, has appealed to the government to, as a matter of urgency consider means of paying Assembly members from the Consolidated Fund as done to the Members of Parliament (MPs).
Freeman Koryekpor Awlesu Greater 
The President of Bono Regional House of Chiefs who doubles as the Paramount Chief of Dormaa Traditional Area, Osagyefo Osedeayo Dr. Nana Agyemang Badu I, has appealed to the government to, as a matter of urgency consider means of paying Assembly members from the Consolidated Fund as done to the Members of Parliament (MPs).
According to Dormaahene, the works of Assembly Members are also as tedious as their senior counterparts in parliament and for that matter, they should be given a monthly salary to motivate them to work excellently for the people at the grassroots.
He said Assembly Members work 24/7 in their various electoral areas but because they do not receive any remuneration for their services it ends up discouraging some of them to perform better as expected of them.
Osagyefo Dr. Agyeman Badu ll who appealed when he organized the number 106 clean-up exercise at Kwakuanya in the Dormaa West District of Dormaa Traditional Area stressed the need for a monthly allowance to be paid to assemblymen.
At a press conference on Thursday, it proposed that these allowances should be charged from the consolidated fund.
“The salaries and allowances payable and the facility available to public office holders including Members of Parliament, CEOs, the President and Vice President, District Chief Executive are disadvantageous to assembly members, making the assembly member look ordinary,” the Dormaahene said.
The chief also wants the emolument of presiding and assembly members charged on the consolidated fund “to pave the way for adequate remuneration.”
Speaking in an interview with Soireenews.com, some of the residents in the area who partook in the exercise also added their voices to call for the government to pay salaries to the Assembly members.
They emphasized that it is high time the government paid Assembly members from the consolidated fund.
To achieve this, they suggested that Parliament should revisit article 250, clauses 1 and 2 of the 1992 constitution, and section 11(2) of the Local Governance Act 2016, Act 936.
Among other proposals, they called for the establishment of an electoral area development fund to be drawn from the district assembly common fund and motorbikes for all assembly members.
“We are by this reminding the local government ministry of the promise made to assembly members when the ministry promised to create assembly members’ development fund. This initiative, if implemented, will not only save assembly members from using their resources to finance community activities, but it will also ease the pressure on MPs and enhance rapid development,” they stated.
