MP Car Loans: Latest Development

AFTER two hours of hectic discussions between top government officials and the leadership of Parliament yesterday, Cabinet has announced that it has not taken any decision to grant loans to MPs to purchase vehicles.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Presidential Affairs, Mr Jake Obestebi Lamptey; Media Relations Minister, Ms Elizabeth Ohene representing Government, while the Parliamentary leadership was represented by Papa Owusu Ankomah, Deputy Majority Leader; Osei-Kyei-Mensah, Majority Chief Whip, and E. K. Doe Adjaho, Minority Chief Whip.

Mr J. H. Mensah, Leader of Government Business, and Mr Alban Bagbin, Minority Leader, could not attend because they had travelled outside the country.

Sources close to the Castle told the Graphic that immediately after the meeting, the President and the Speaker of Parliament met to discuss the reports about the decision to grant loans to the MPs and the ramifications for the national economy.

A statement issued after the talks said the two considered the transportation difficulties faced by MPs in the discharge of their duties.

The statement, signed by Ms Elizabeth Ohene, Government Spokesperson, said it was agreed that the Parliamentary leadership should prioritise the transportation needs of MPs, while government works with Parliament to find appropriate means to resolve the most urgent ones.

It said: “Within the context of our economic situation, government will help source loans for MPs to purchase their own vehicles.”

The statement said “whiles acknowledging the serious shortage of vehicles in the public sector, it should be stated that His Excellency the President has identified as his first priority the procurement of vehicle for the police to enable them to their duties”.

According to the statement, the government has in the past few months been working on finding the most cost-effective solution to procuring the vehicles for the police.

The statement added: “It is his firm belief that when the police are equipped with the vehicles they require to perform their duties, everybody’s security would be ensured”.

Growing Discontent Among MPs Over JAK's Position

Highly placed sources in Parliament have told JOY FM that there is discontent among Members of Parliament (MPs) over the manner in which the President is handling the issue of the $20,000 car loans. The dissatisfaction is over attempts to lay the blame on Finance Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo for approving the loans for the MP’s.

Some MP’s have accused the Executive of double standards. According to them, the Government’s explanation that Cabinet had not taken any decision to grant the loan was erroneous.

They said it would be higly unlikely for key members of Cabinet including Attorney-General Nana Akuffo Addo, Foreign Minister Hackman Owusu Agyeman, Finance Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo and others who all are MP’s to keep silent over the matter if Cabinet had not approved it.

The MP’s told JOY FM that government’s statement asking Parliament’s leadership to prioritise their transportation needs is rather unclear. The government statement released after an emergency meeting between President Kufuor and the Speaker of Parliament said the MPs would be assisted to source loans to purchase their own vehicles.