Asuogyaman MP on why MPs should work from home

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Asuogyaman in the Eastern Region, Thomas Kyarko Ampem, has suggested that Parliament should  allow members to work from home.

He wants MPs to work two days in the chamber in a week, and the remaining days from the house.

His suggestion, he said was part of a strategy MPs can use to manage the increasing fuel prices.

He said instead of driving to parliament to spend two hours, the House should agree for members to spend six hours for each of the two days to make up for the period spent at home.

Citing an embarrassing scenario, where he drove to a fuel pump one day to fill his tank and was surprised at the bill presented to him, he said: "I was told to pay GH¢3,000 but the money I had on me was only GH¢2,100.00.”

"I had to call a colleague to send the rest of the money through MoMo which I have been trying to avoid," he said.

The MP said the request by former President John Dramani Mahama for workers to be allowed to work from home was laudable and should be considered.

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But in a rebuttal, the Majority Leader and MP for Suame in the Ashanti Region, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said that was an "apocalyptic" demand and questioned the effect on national productivity and Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

"I think that it is an unfortunate call on us that we should work just for two days.

"And he said former President Mahama has made a request for people to work from the house.

“Let me sound a note of caution that there is only one Executive President [Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo] in this country and nobody can pretend to share power with him. Whether a former president or future president," he said.

Citing a similar example in 1998 when after the late president Jerry John Rawlings had finished delivering a state of the Nation Address, he reacted similarly to former president John Agyekum Kufuor when he attempted to make a comment.