By Kekeli K. Blamey
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has called for the abolition of ex-gratia payments to Article 71 officeholders, arguing that these payments no longer serve their intended purpose.
Speaking at a public forum in Kumasi to mark the 30th anniversary of the Fourth Republican Parliament, Bagbin explained that the original intention behind ex-gratia payments for certain public servants and political officeholders was to combat corruption. However, he noted that this is no longer the case in the current dispensation.
Bagbin emphasized that the payments were initially meant to assure public servants and political officeholders that their needs would be taken care of after leaving office, thereby encouraging them to prioritize the people’s interests over personal gains. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that in practice, the payments have not effectively curbed corruption.
The Speaker expressed his support for amending Article 71 of the Constitution to abolish ex-gratia payments, which he believes have become unnecessary.
“The issue of ex gratia is a very thorny issue. The founders envisaged a situation where they wanted some particular category of public servants, including political officeholders, to benefit from it. Ex gratia is not for members of Parliament alone and it’s not even ex gratia; it’s gratuity. There’s a difference between ex gratia and gratuity, and it’s not for members of Parliament alone. It cuts across a category of public servants and political officeholders, including the Auditor General, the chairpersons of all the constitutional commissions, ministers of state, the presidency, judiciary, and others. It’s not just members of Parliament.”
Bagbin reiterated that the concept of ex-gratia payments was to assure officeholders that they should focus on serving the people rather than thinking about themselves. “Unfortunately, in practice, it has not served its purpose. It has not been able to assist us in curbing or containing corruption. When I attempted to contest as a presidential candidate, I announced that if elected as president, I would ensure that Article 71 is amended. I agree totally with anyone who says we should do away with Article 71 of the Constitution. It hasn’t served its purpose, and there’s no use maintaining it,” he added.
