You need GHC500,000 to become an MP – Muntaka

The Majority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka says a politician will need a whopping GH? 500,000 Cedis to become a Member of Parliament.

According to Hon. Muntaka who is also the NDC MP for Asawase, if all Legislators will be honest, one needs to spend not less than the said amount from beginning of the campaign, through to primaries, to the main Constituency elections.

Alhaji Muntaka was speaking at the launch of Center for Democratic Development (CDD)’s No-Poor policy brief which is based on a research on voter expectations of MPs.

The CDD research revealed that many Ghanaians have very limited knowledge and understanding of the core functions and responsibilities of an MP.

The ‘Enhancing Knowledge for Renewed Policies against poverty’ (NOPOOR) is a five year (2012-2017) research project aimed to build and enhance knowledge on the nature and extent of poverty around the globe.

Another significant revelation from the study, which is determinant of voting decisions, is that 84% of respondents indicated that they are to a large extent influenced by the extent to which a candidate can directly provide personal resources, provision of developmental projects in the constituencies and the ability of the candidate to help many people.

These findings show that voters’ voting intent is not based on the competence of the candidates to perform their core mandate of MPs, but the ability of MPs to provide developmental projects to the constituents.

The CDD-Ghana recommended that there is the need for intense and continuous civic and voter education by Ghana’s constitutional body, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and other Civil Society Organizations for citizens to appreciate the role of MPs, issues on elections, accountability and above all on the civic and political rights of citizens.

Hon. Muntaka said many people do not know that MP’s spend so much to win the seat and further gave some of the break down as printing of banners, posters, T shirts, bill board, fuel, food, drinks, delegates’ money etc.