‘Commend Emoluments Committee’- Sekondi MP

Deputy Energy Minister and Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Lawyer Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer has condemned former President Mahama for his stance against the recommendation of the Emoluments Committee to pay presidential spouses salaries.
The committee was set up by President Akufo-Addo in 2019 to make recommendations to honour salaries and allowances needed to be paid to Article 71 office holders.
The committee in its recommendation stated that the allowances received by spouses of presidents and vice presidents be made formal.
This development has dominated public discourse as majority have described it as out of law. Others have headed to the court to challenge the initiative.
The former president described the initiative as a way by which the president is sneaking the First and Second Ladies into the Article 71 office holders.
Lawyer Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer in an interview with a TV station said, “i read part of the statement of the former president, i was extremely disappointed because as usual, its hypocrisy on the part of we the politicians.”
According to him, the committee should be commended for their bold step.
“I think rather than condemning the committee and the recommendations that they made that parliament adopted, we should commend them for being bold.”
He believes the initiative is to make the allowances these presidential spouses take formal.
“For being bold to say these under the table payments that we have been making from somewhere 2000, that we all think is okay and should be brought to the table, make it transparent so everybody gets to know that our first ladies, present and past are supported by the state as benefit to the presidents that they were married to”, he added.
Source: Opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini