Private legal practitioner lawyer Kwaku Asare aka Kwaku Azar has opined that Ghanaians must blame themselves for allowing our leaders to abuse Article 71.
In the view of the lawyer, Article 71, is a mere emolument clause and yet, we have allowed our leaders to take advantage of the situation and abusing it for their own interest.
The lawyer explained that although the US has the worst emoluments clause in its constitution, their officeholders don’t exploit it.
”Most constitutions have an emolument clause. The worst emolument clause can be found in the US Constitution at Article 1 section 6, which allows its legislators to determine their own compensation.
Yet, the US legislators have not been able to exploit their emolument clause. Not because they are supra-legislators or super humans.”
He recounted how US voters voted against their representatives who voted and allowed them to decided their emoluments.
The situation, he said, forced sitting representatives to reject pay rise even though they are entitled to it as stipulated in the constitution.
He wants Ghanaians to learn from the example to ensure that our leaders don’t exploit the emoluments clause.
Read his full post below
Article 71 is not the problem. The problem is that Ghanafuo allow Article 71 to be abused and paradoxically blame Article 71 for allowing their leaders to abuse it.
Yet, Article 71 is a mere emolument clause. As with almost everything else, our leaders can do only as much as the public allows. That is, there are political constraints on our leaders’ power to determine their emolument.Most constitutions have an emolument clause.
The worst emolument clause can be found in the US Constitution at Article 1 section 6, which allows its legislators to determine their own compensation.
Yet, the US legislators have not been able to exploit their emolument clause. Not because they are supra-legislators or super humans.
In fact, as far back as 1816, they raised their compensation of $6 per sitting day to $1,500 a year. As one observer puts the citizens reaction to this Salary Grab Act, “the thunder-clouds of national indignation roared above. The storm broke. The whole nation seemed to tremble in the convulsive spasms of political hysteria. Every Congressman who had voted for the bill was attacked with the venom of personal hatred. “Pirates,” “looters of the Treasury,” “thieves,” ” traitors to the people” were the epithets bandied about the country. Private robbery and public plunder “was the favorite characterization; denunciation and retort, violence, abuse and clamor filled the whole country.”
But it was not just indignation and condemnation. Almost everyone who voted for the Salary Grab Act was defeated in the next election and the next Congress unsurprisingly repealed the Salary Grab Act. Congressional salaries were not addressed for four decades.
Today, even though the law theoretically allows an annual cost-of-living adjustment, the lawmakers usually vote to decline the raise.
The US voters do not blame their Article 71. They act as a constraint on the abuse of their Article 71 by exercising their political power.
Ghanafuo must stop blaming Article 71 and start using their political power to shield Article 71 from abuse.
SALL is the cardinal sin of the 8th Parliament. Not because the EC can sin but because Ghanafuo will let the EC get away with it.
Da Yie!
By: Rainbowradioonline.com
