Dean of Conference of Presiding Members bemoans lack of logistics for PMs

The Dean of the Conference of Presiding Members (PMs), has bemoaned the lack of logistics including vehicles and offices for PMs and payment of salaries for Assembly members in the country.

Mr. Joseph Korto was speaking at the meeting of the Conference of Presiding Members, Ghana at Koforidua in the Eastern Region under the theme, ‘Ghana's Digital Revolution: the role of the Local Assembly.’

He called on the Local government ministry to as a matter of urgency address their challenges by expediting action on their concerns to ensure that it facilitates the work of Assembly members and their Metropolitan Municipal District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

“We plead with the local government minister that this is our cry; our ex-gratia, our sitting allowances, some are too small so if the local government minister gets the opportunity, we plead with him to work on it for us,” he appealed.

According to him, not all Assembly members have received motorbikes to facilitate their work, adding that though some have received theirs, others were yet to.

He furthered: “We also plead that Assembly members are not paid so we are pleading with the local government minister to ensure that parliament amends articles of the law to ensure that Assembly members at least receive some incentives,” he said.

He urged the NALAG president to brief members on the status of the distribution of the bikes.

A member of the Council of State, Mr. Enoch Teye Mensah who was present at the event also called on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the country not to privatize mobilization of revenue in their respective jurisdictions.

According to him, such practices do not help the finances of the MMDAs.

“When you privatize it (revenue), that private person is also going to employ his own people. The truth is that for some of us because of the ten, fifteen percent that we are given, we believe that is the way to go,” emphasized the Council of State member.

Describing his former position as city mayor as one of the best he has held, Mr. Teye Mensah, a former mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Authority recounted how efficiently his administration raised resources to finance its operations.
“We were able to mobilise resources, bought our vehicles. We were able to mobilise resources because once it’s your own resources that you’re mobilizing,” he said.



Underscoring the need to monitor the revenue, he stressed that one of the best ways to ensure maximum revenue income into the system was to motivate the revenue collectors by setting targets for them and those who meet the targets given bonuses while the contracts of those who fail to meet the targets are terminated.