Readers have been asking for the salary of the President. This is the importance of the National Assembly. When the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for 2018 were brought to the National Assembly in December 2017, it was pointed out by the National Assembly member for Serrekunda that there is the practice of not publishing the salary of the President in violation of section 68 of the Constitution.
Section 68(1) reads:
“The President shall receive such salary and allowances as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly, and such salary and allowances shall not be altered to his or her disadvantage during his or her tenure of office.”
This was acknowledged by the Minister of Finance as an omission. Now, it is clear that the President’s salary has to be put in the Estimates. The President receives D2,040,000 (two million forty thousand dalasis) per annum as salary. The allowances are yet to be stated in the details the Estimates.
However, if he gives 10 percent of his income as his contribution to the National Development Plan, it means that each month he will be giving 17,000 dalasis.
People have been making their value judgment about the President’s contribution. What is however important is for the facts to be known. In a democratic republic salaries of state officials are to be known and they should not exceed what is not required for them to live normal lives. They should not exceed what is required to live normal life. They should not enrich themselves at the expense of the people.
