Kate Addo, Parliament’s Director of Public Affairs, believes the outrage directed at Members of Parliament over a planned car loan arrangement for the purchase of cars for them is unjustified.
Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance, presented to Parliament a loan arrangement worth $28 million for the purchase of cars for Ghana’s parliamentarians.
Each of the 275 MPs is anticipated to earn more than $100,000 for the purchase of a car based on the amount.
The House Finance Committee is scheduled to review the loan arrangement and report back to the House.
Some Ghanaians are outraged by the loan deal and have turned to social media to voice their dissatisfaction.
However, in an interview with Citi News, Madam Kate Addo stated that there is no need for all the criticism since the MPs would ultimately repay the debt.
“Some of these MPs have their constituencies in remote areas. These people need to have access to their constituencies. Ideally, these MPs have to visit their constituencies at least once a week.”
“These loans [will be paid] paid by MPs themselves, and they are deducted at source. So it is not as though they are going to get them for free. These monies will be recouped,” she explained.
There have been reports of MPs neglecting to repay vehicle loans.
In 2017, the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) was hot on the trail of certain Members of Parliament who had purchased their cars on loan but had not paid it back for many years.
According to reports, letters were sent to the MPS requesting that they honor their commitments, but they did not respond.
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SOURCE: ATLFM ONLINE
