The office of ex-President John Dramani Mahama is a product of ex-gratia; his aides Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Joyce Bawah Mogtari and the rest of supporting-staff at his office are all product of ex-gratia who are also article 71 office-holders benefiting from 4-year term ex-gratia payments.
Effectively, these workers at the office of ex-President John Mahama, since 2016, continue to benefit from ex-gratia. Additionally, they are entitled to all benefits available to the rank of deputy ministers. Asuch, ndc is in opposition but these people are enjoying power in its real form.
Pay-on-account
As we speak, all 275 MPs are on interim payroll which is commonly known as “pay on account”. What this simply means is that their receiving salary of the previous parliament until the new one comes into effect. So the sum of backlog in difference between the old and the new is what’s paid.
As members of arms of government comprising executive, legislature and judiciary, they don’t benefit from salary increment as negotiated by Labour. Salaries and emuloments of this category of employees are strictly by law, and absolutely nothing is by someone’s personal whims.
All former Presidents of our republic, John Mahama inclusive, are being taken care of till they die, and according to law, their conditions and privileges cannot be revised downward. And since being booted out of office, John Mahama has been benefiting from these largesse without blinking an eye.
Parasites
As a matter of fact, there are people in present-day ndc that have lived-off taxes of ordinary Ghanaian taxpayers since 1979. Whatever wealth these people have accumulated was never by a dint of hardwork but through parasitic escapades and often naked raping of our State coffers.
ndc MPs
Indeed, when the life of current parliament expires at midnight of 6th January 2024, the 136 ndc MPs will be entitled to their salary discrepancy of the last 4years which is by law. Same applies to members of the executive and other categories of public sector workers. And by law, the state is bound to oblige.
Asuch, prouncement by John Mahama at his declaration of intent in Ho, that, he will scrap ex-gratia if voted for in 2024, at best, amounts to nothing but EGREGIOUSLY POPULIST HOGWASH. How can a person whose very livelihood and that of his aides survive on ex-gratia, be truthful about this claim?
Ministers
Again, he promised to work with a less number of ministers, comparative to what we have presently. Here too, he engage in unalloyed metaphysical sophistry because if we currently have 1000 ministers, he can decide to appoint 999, and that will perfectly be inline with his promise to cut down the numbers.
It is pretty obvious John Mahama and his ndc followers are still living in total self-denial and therefore fallen into a deep illusionist trance of believing that the age-old shouting of corruption and incompetence against political opponent, without profering cogent policy alternatives, trick Ghanaian voters.
Short memory
They forget that John Mahama was President, not in the days of Don Diego d’Azambuja, but only a couple of years ago and therefore effects of his crass incompetence are still fresh in memory of Ghanaians, irrespective of the fact that he believes Ghanaians suffer from incurable “short memory” as he said.
Stillbirth
Their intended propaganda wish in respect of the Nigerian presidential election has suffered a stillbirth so they have decided to seek refuge in shamelessly bogus promises. The days of empty promises are gone so whoever is bereft of vision, drive, zeal and patriotism, should go and sleep. Our eyes are wide-open!!!!
Justice A. Newton-Offei
justnoff@yahoo.com