A government communications official has challenged the long-standing practice of granting additional perks to political appointees, arguing that salaries already cover the responsibilities of their roles.
Speaking on The Verdict with Isaac Addae on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, Raymond Edem Tamekloe of the Government Communications Office said political appointees and public servants should not be treated as a separate class outside the ordinary workforce.
“You are a staff or a political appointee. Are you not a worker? Don’t you earn salaries?” he asked, questioning the rationale for separate accommodation, fuel benefits, or monetary allowances beyond official pay.
Mr. Tamekloe noted that historically, political office holders earned “very lucrative salaries” intended to cover the operational demands of their jobs, including travel and official duties. He emphasized that roles requiring frequent movement or national assignments should already be accounted for in the salary structure.
“For example, when they need to dispatch a national responsibility and they need to drive to those places, they may need fuel. I am very confident that their salaries reflect all these demands,” he said.
He further argued that layering additional benefits on top of salaries that already reflect job responsibilities creates an unnecessary strain on public resources and widens the gap between officials and ordinary workers.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Barbara Yeboah
