The Member of Parliament for Nkawkaw, Joseph Frempong, has raised concerns over delays in the payment of entitlements to Members of Parliament, questioning government claims that the economy is improving.
Contributing to the debate on the State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Friday, March 6, Mr. Frempong said the prolonged delay in the release of funds for MPs’ payments and other obligations raises serious questions about the actual state of the economy.
According to him, the situation contradicts the government’s narrative that inflation is declining and economic stability is gradually returning.
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“We are suffering in Parliament, and you talk about inflation going down. This is the time that the cocoa money should be boosting the economy, but there is no money.”
“The economy is not growing; how do you talk about inflation when you cannot even pay MPs and give us our entitlements?” the Nkawkaw MP said.
Mr. Frempong added that the delays are placing significant financial pressure on several lawmakers who rely on those payments to meet their commitments.
However, the Member of Parliament for Mion, Misbahu Mahama Adams, rejected the criticism and defended the government’s handling of the economy.
He attributed the current economic challenges to policies and borrowing practices under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
According to him, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government is working to stabilise the economy and has already made significant progress in reducing the country’s public debt.
“They are very uncomfortable with the way the National Democratic Congress government is managing the economy. The overall bit of this is that the NDC government was able to reduce the public debt to 45% of GDP, as against what was handed over to us at 61%,” he stated.
The exchange formed part of a broader debate among lawmakers on the economic outlook presented by President John Dramani Mahama during his address to Parliament.