The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Aaron Oquaye is not happy about what he calls the poor state of welfare of Members of Parliament (MPs) after they exit the House.
According to him, the living conditions of most former MPs are a far cry from the public perception that there is a lot of money to be made in Parliament.
Speaking during a tribute read in the House in memory of Dr. Kwabena Adjei, a former NDC Chairman who was once an MP, the Speaker tasked the House committee and the Whips to come up with recommendations on how best to deal with the situation.
“We all know that the lives of many former members are not as we will like to see it and it pains me personally to see how they look like after they have served and people think these are people who are making money …It is painful. People do not have money here.”
“See other Members of Parliament who have left office recently or not long ago and we must also, therefore, look at the reality and make provision for pensions and other aspects of welfare of members. So I refer this to the committee to look at it.”
A group of former legislators have called on Parliament to come to their aid through the provision of pension schemes and welfare packages.
The former MPs said their current living conditions are bad.
They urged Parliament to also provide them with better retirement packages since most of them have remained jobless after exiting the legislature.
They called for a pension scheme for sitting MPs and an extension to former MPs.