The Member of Parliament for the Akim Oda constituency has urged President John Dramani Mahama and his presidential staff to consider salary reductions in solidarity with the recent decrease in cocoa prices.
Hon. Alexander Akwasi Acquah posited that such a gesture would demonstrate the President’s genuine concern for cocoa farmers, whom he alleged have been unfairly treated.
During his contribution to the debate on the State of the Nation Address, he noted that cocoa farmers are unable to celebrate Ghana’s independence due to the unfair prices they receive.
“A celebration that cocoa farmers cannot be part of… they have suffered so much to develop, yet the president says he cannot pay them the worth of their toil,” Acquah stated.
He further argued that the burden of salary cuts should not be limited to the top executives and board members of COCOBOD but should also extend to the executive branch.
He claimed that the minority caucus recently engaged some cocoa farmers in the Eastern Region, where the farmers asked them to relay to President John Dramani Mahama that if the president wants to reduce the prices of cocoa, it has to start with him and his appointees.
”Let it start from the Jubilee House, through the ministers, DCEs, everywhere. It is not about the Cocoa Board Senior Staff Association losing 10 per cent of their salaries, and they are not happy; they are complaining. Mr Speaker, they are complaining.”
He recounted that under former President Akufo-Addo’s government, all appointees were made to suffer salary cuts when the country was faced with crisis.
”We all had salary cuts. So if the President is saying that he took this decision in a painful manner, the pain will be very much felt if he starts from his salary and then he continues with the Chief of Staff, the Deputy Chief of Staff, ministers, DCEs and other appointees,” he added.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
