MPs defend car loans

Two Members of Parliament (MPs) from both the Majority and Minority sides have defended the 20,000 dollars car loans for MPs saying it was reasonable and justified.

As one of the three arms of government and in view of the huge constituency obligations of MPs, they deserve a reliable means of transport just like those of the Executive and the Judiciary, they said.

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Chief Whip and Mr Moses Asaga, National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Nabdam, were speaking in separate telephone interviews with "Sky FM" a radio station in Sunyani on Wednesday.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said it was unfair for the public to criticise MPs when they did not raise a finger "when similar offers are regularly extended to doctors and judges.

"The other two arms of government, the Executive and the Judiciary even enjoy free use of cars without the burden of paying for fuel and maintenance cost but we are going to pay back every penny of the loans so why the outcry?"

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said Parliament requested for a higher amount but had to settle on 20,000 dollars because of the economic difficulties facing the country.

"We are not being insensitive. Parliament is a very important national institution for the entrenchment of democracy and rule of law and granting members 20,000 dollars loans to enhance their work should not be deemed too much".

The Majority Chief Whip appealed to the public to stop politicising the issue and said that although the cars were to be supplied next year, deductions of 1.2 million cedis were already being made from the salaries of MPs.

Mr Asaga said the loan is genuine since MPs need reliable means of transport to visit their constituencies regularly and to move around in Accra to source for projects. "About 70 per cent of our constituencies are rural and we need good cars if we are to visit them regularly."

Mr Asaga said he uses an NDC vehicle or hitchhike before he could visit his constituency because as a Minister in the previous government he was denied the car loan granted MPs in 1996. "This time around, I think all ministers, who are MPs must be allowed to access the loans so that when they are no longer ministers, they will still have a means of reliable transport to tour their constituencies."

Mr Asaga said he had visited a lot of African Parliaments and his conclusions were that "Ghana's is the most deprived and MPs the least in terms of both resources and looked after."

He urged the media to help Parliament to be viable since it plays a very important role in the consolidation of democracy, which guarantees press freedom.

During the phone in segment, the majority of callers expressed concern about the granting of such "huge car loans" to the MPs in the face of the nation's Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) status.