The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has reaffirmed his stance against ex-gratia payments for Article 71 officeholders, arguing that they no longer serve their original purpose.

Speaking at a public forum in Kumasi to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Fourth Republican Parliament, Bagbin explained that these payments were initially designed to combat corruption by assuring public servants and political officeholders that their post-office financial needs would be met, thus encouraging them to prioritize public interest over personal gain.

However, he noted that this goal has not been achieved in practice, and the payments have failed to effectively curb corruption.

“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. The ex gratia is not for members of Parliament and it’s not even ex gratia, it’s gratuity.

Bagbin expressed his support for amending Article 71 of the Constitution to eliminate ex-gratia payments, which he believes have become redundant.

He clarified that these payments are not exclusive to members of parliament but also include various categories of public servants and political officeholders, such as the auditor general, chairpersons of constitutional commissions, ministers of state, the presidency, and the judiciary.

Bagbin highlighted that the original concept was to reassure officeholders of their financial security after their term, allowing them to focus on representing the people's interests.

Unfortunately, this concept has not been successful in reducing corruption, leading him to advocate for the removal of Article 71 from the Constitution, as it no longer serves its intended purpose.

“But the concept was to assure them, because of the importance of the position they occupy, and the decisions they take on your behalf, the concept was to assure them, don’t think about yourself, think about the people you represent because, after your office, we will take care of you. So it was to assist us to contain corruption. And I’m happy that a number of industrial chiefs from this region were members of the consultative assembly.”

“Unfortunately, in practice, it has not served its purpose. It has not been able to assist us to curb or contain corruption. And so when I made an attempt to contest as a presidential candidate, I did announce that if elected as president, I was going to ensure that that article is amended from the constitution. So I agree totally with anybody who comes to say that we should do away with Article 71 of the Constitution. It hasn’t served its purpose, there’s no use maintaining it.”