The Chairman of Parliament’s Finance Committee and MP for Obuasi West, Kwaku Kwarteng, has called for the capping of the number of Members of Parliament in the country.
This would be part of measures to cut costs in the Legislature.
“It is time to cap the number of Members of Parliament for the Republic of Ghana. We cannot continue administration after administration to be creating new constituencies and districts and to be increasing the budget” Mr. Kwarteng said during day one of the debate on the 2022 budget.
There are currently 275 seats in Parliament.
There are plans to create a new seat for the Guan Constituency in the Oti Region.
He also urged Parliament to look out for other ways it can cut costs.
“Are there ways the leadership of Parliament can cut cost as Ghana seeks to bridge the gap between our revenue and expenditures,” he asked.
“Not only should we [Parliament] be approving and supporting the government in these initiatives, we as Parliament must also lead by example,” the legislator also said.
Mr. Kwarteng cited sole sourcing in Parliament as an area that needed addressing.
“Are we going to deal with sole sourcing procurement by the House… should we continue, for example, to procure these glossy calendars and glossy diaries year-on-year for Parliament for which we have very little utilisation?”
“It is not enough for members of Parliament to be out there calling out the Executive and asking the Executive to demonstrate commitment to fiscal prudence. We ourselves must set the example,” he stressed.
The government intends to spend about GHS 137.5 billion, while GHS 100.5 billion is to be raised as total revenue for 2022.
