The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa who is set to receive his third Landcruiser loan since 2013 has been lambasted for claiming to have moral standards that his conduct does not support.
This is because the MP for Tamale Central Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed has described the position taken by his colleague lawmaker Ablakwa regarding the current car loan facility for legislators as hypocritical.
He accused the North Tongu MP of lacking principles relative to the car loan saga.
Minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta submitted to parliament for approval a loan agreement of $28 million for the purchase of 275 vehicles for members of the 8th Parliament, which has been approved by the House.
However, Mr Ablakwa had entreated his colleague MPs to reject the loan, arguing that the current arrangement where the lawmakers are given car loans to purchase vehicles is grossly unfair.
According to him, members of the legislature should be treated like those in the other arms of government and given cars, fueled and maintained by the state.
His claim followed the usual brouhaha about MPs car loan in which there has been divided opinions among Ghanaians including some lawmakers as to whether the convention should be sustained in the midst of the economic challenges confronting the country.
Hypocrisy
Commenting on the issue, Mr Murtala said, “First and foremost, it is the height of hypocrisy and I have to say this about my brother. Okudzeto is not just a colleague Member of Parliament, myself and him we have come a very long way. He has taken the loan two times. I went to Parliament with him the same time when he took the car loan. In the Seventh Parliament I wasn’t there but he took the loan.
“So where is the principle in this? Since when did he realize that taking the car was unconscionable. Who is he trying to deceive?
“This is not a principle position,” the Tamale Central MP told Joy Prime yesterday.
Ablakwa’s claim
Last Wednesday, Mr Ablakwa indicated that he and some of his colleague lawmakers from across the political divide had made progress in getting parliament to reject the $28million car loan facility for the legislators.
He disclosed that he and his colleague from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and MP for Okaikwei Central, Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah cosponsored a private member’s motion, Speaker Alban S. K. Bagbin admitted for urgent debate this week.
“Glad we made major progress today in our efforts to have Parliament reject the US$28million MPs’ car loan facility.
“Really elated that my colleague NPP MP, Patrick Boamah and I cosponsored a private member’s motion which the Rt. Hon. Speaker admitted for urgent debate this week,” he reiterated in a tweet.
For his part, Mr Boamah who is the Vice-Chairman of Parliament’s Finance Committee has said in an earlier interview that if he has his way, he will tell the legislators to reject the facility.
“For me, if I have my way I will tell my colleague MPs to reject that facility for the simple reason that all the other arms of government vehicles are procured for them without having to go through this process where the media is always on the back of MP s for contracting a loan.
“I don’t see the reason why we should be the subject for this public bashing,” he told journalists on Wednesday July 7.
Cessation of loan facility
Finance Committee of Parliament has recommended a discontinuation of the current loan facility for MPs and members of the Council of State.
The committee recommended that MPs and members of the Council of State should have duty post vehicle arrangements as other article 71 office holders.
The committee also recommended that parliament and the parliamentary service takes the necessary steps to ensure that this happens.
It said the current loan agreement for MPs and Council of State members should therefore, be the last the state is sponsoring.
