Commend Prez Mahama for 10% pay cut - Kofi Bentil
The Vice-President of IMANI Ghana, Kofi Bentil, says President John Mahama and his appointees deserve commendation for opting to take a 10 per cent pay cut in support of maternal health causes.
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The Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Seth Terkper, made the surprise announcement Tuesday, when he presented the 2014 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government to Parliament.
Terkper said: “Mr Speaker, in the spirit of the partnership from the Ho forum, President John Dramani Mahama, his Vice-President, ministers and appointees have decided to take a voluntary 10 per cent pay cut for 2014.” The Minister explained that the salary cut, which would be deducted at source by the Controller and Accountant-General, would be paid into a fund to be dedicated to special purpose Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) focusing on maternal and neonatal health.
The move has been dismissed as populist by a cross-section of the public, but IMANI Ghana’s Kofi Bentil disagrees with that school of thought.
“It’s a good thing,” he told Accra-based Joy FM Thursday, adding that it would give Ghana about GH₵1.2 million a year.
“If they had given themselves a 10 per cent salary raise, we'll all be here screaming and shouting. So I think there is something to commend them about,” he said.
Bentil said instead of being cynical about the 10 per cent pay cut, Ghanaians should focus on ensuring that the money is deducted from the salaries of the volunteers and used for its intended purpose.
“We all should monitor and make sure that money is properly paid. They should find some sort of NGO to give it to and make sure that those CHPS compounds are properly executed,” he said.
The IMANI Vice-President also called for a reduction in what he said was the “corruption” and “waste” in government.