Member of Parliament for Zebilla, Cletus Avoka has blamed the unreasonable demands on lawmakers by the public, especially constituents for the corruption in the Legislature.
There is a widely held perception of corruption in parliament. Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin in the past had categorically stated MPs engage in a number of corrupt activities in order to meet demands on them.
In an interview in Accra, the Zebilla MP who has been in parliament cumulatively for 24 years pointed out that demands from the public makes it practically impossible not to be corrupt.
Mr. Avoka disclosed that many MPs are using their positions for business rather than engaging in law making.
“The press men should have been fighting for the MPs. They shhould have been defending the MPs. Everyday MoMo. Everyday MoMo. Somebody is sick and has to go to the hospital, you have to send money, somebody is going to do a wedding you have to send money, they are going to do outdooring, they are asking for you. They are asking for school fees and what not.
Many of us lose the election or Primaries not because we’re not doing well but because we’re not giving money out. How do you give money out if you come and stay in parliament for 8 hours debating? You’re debating for 5 or 8 hours, you go home in the evening to sleep, the following day you have no money to send. You have to go out and look for the money.” He lamented.
Asked whether the development is the basis for the assertion of the former Nadowli-Kaleo MP that all MPs are corrupt, the former Interior minister answered in the affirmative.
“If I’m not corrupt, how can I maintain my seat? You have to be corrupt in one way or another. You have to look for more resources. If you have to look for more resources, you have to go out, do some work for a contractor. As a lawyer, maybe prepare a bill, or do this and that and what not? So that I have half attention here, half attention outside because I need more resources to be able to maintain my seat. Otherwise you’ll be a one term MP. Many of those who are one term or two-term MPs it’s not because they don’t know or they are not working but they are not dashing out money.”
CDD’s Afro barometer on corruption has always cited the Legislature on the league table.
Ghana has stagnated on the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index for the past 3 years without any improvement.
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