THE conditions of service of the country’s public office holders have remained the focus of discussions in the media since the issue of ex gratia for appointees of the former government became public knowledge.
Undoubtedly, the debate started during the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic when loans were provided for Members of Parliament (MPs) to own cars.
During the First Parliament, the public did not see anything wrong with cars for MPs, except that the MPs described the gesture as not being dignifying enough because while members of the Executive were given brand new cars at no cost to them, the MPs were asked to pay for their second-hand cars.
Subsequently, the policy was revised and MPs were given loans to acquire brand new cars. Then came the Greenstreet Report that recommended certain packages for members of the Executive, the Legislature and other public office holders.
Public outcry against the recommendations of the Greenstreet Report was quite muted but the same public was outraged by the recommendations contained in the Chinery-Hesse Report.
But, at is to be expected, the debate has been politicised. The refrain again is that after all the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government paid ex gratia so when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has done it, what is wrong with the policy?
But the thrust of the matter is whether the procedure was right or the government can sustain the policy.
In our present circumstances where the people are being called upon to tighten their belts because of economic difficulties, it will be difficult to defend the packages contained in the Chinery-Hesse Report.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that there are useful lessons that all public office holders can learn from our circumstances and the hullabaloo that has greeted expenses claimed over four years by some MPs in the United Kingdom (UK).
Like the UK case, the Ghanaian situation also demands that our public office holders take the lead for a review of their conditions of service to show that they are worthy of public trust.
While the debate rages on, the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Sumanu Bagbin, has stated that MPs will insist that the government should provide them with official vehicles, instead of giving them loans to purchase such vehicles. This has introduced a new dimension to the debate and it is likely to draw the ire of the public.
Members of the public are not against any support for our public office holders in the discharge of their duties. The taxpayers are saying that the time has come for all public office holders to be considerate in their demands to ensure that the country’s burden can be shared by all.
We know our democracy cannot endure without an independent and vibrant Parliament that can hold the purse string of the government in order to promote public accountability. But that agenda to resource Parliament to discharge its duties effectively should not be at the expense of the basic needs of the people for whom accountability in governance is key.
the time has come for the government to consider monetising all the incentives made available to our public officials so that they can be adequately paid to own their houses, cars and other facilities to lead comfortable lives.
That way, the state will be spared the trouble of always being called upon to provide “free things” for our public officials, at the expense of the “bread and butter” issues that confront our people every day.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, urges President J.E.A. Mills to extend the mandate of the committee he has set up to review the Chinery-Hesse Report to look at how to monetise the incentives for public office holders.
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