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Politics is, indeed, becoming a very lucrative job in a supposedly poverty-stricken Ghana, as government last Month released huge cash to be paid to each of the 230 ex-Members of Parliament who served in the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic as their �End-Of-Service-Benefit� (ESB) commonly called ex-gratia. Though details are sketchy to The Herald, ex-Speaker of Parliament Mrs. Justice Joyce Banford-Addo has been penciled to receive the highest amount of the money, while the ex-MPs will each yank a chunk of the cash, depending on whether they were amongst Parliamentary leadership, a chairman of a Select Committee or Ranking Member of a Committee. For instance, the ex-Majority Leader, Cletus Avoka, will receive more cash than his counterpart Minority Leader, Osei-Kyei Mensah Bonsu. While Anthony Akoto Osei, who is the Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, will grab more cash than his colleagues Kennedy Agyapong, Kofi Jumah, Michael Teye Nyaunu, Balado Manu, Moses Asaga, J.S Annan, Samia Yaba Nkrumah, Catherine Afeku, Prof. Ameyaw Ekumfi, John Tia Akologu and Mike Hammah most of whom lost their seats. Citi FM�s Parliamentary Correspondent, Richard Sky said his investigations revealed that each MP will be receiving about �2 billion old Ghana cedis or GH�200,000; �Each former Member of Parliament will be going home with a little over �2 billion old Ghana cedis.� The payments come days after current MP�s were each paid a whopping GH�50, 000 or �500 million old cedis as part-payment for their rent allowance for the four years that they (275 MPs) will be in the House of Parliament. A large fleet of cars are also being arranged for the lawmakers, according to The Herald sources in the House. Meanwhile, The Herald has been informed that some of the MPs will not get part of the money as they had taken huge loans from private banks guaranteed by the Parliament for campaigns and other things, hence are exempted as their shares would be used to defray the loans from the banks. According to Richard Sky �the money has been released by the government into the accounts of the Parliament of Ghana and disbursement is expected to be made. I must say that I have spoken to some former and sitting members of Parliament who have confirmed that the money have been released except that they are yet to see whether it has reflected in their bank accounts.� He further stated that former ministers during President Mills� era have raised concerns about when they will receive their ex-gratia; �Former ministers of state under the John Atta Mills government are angry because their ex-gratia has not yet been released.� This announcement will rekindle the national debate associated with the payment of ex-gratia to MPs and other article 71 office holders. Many Ghanaians have expressed outrage over the huge sums of money that is paid to former MPs and former ministers as ex-gratia. The ex-gratia to MPs has angered striking University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) with some of them saying the payment to the politicians makes teachers �Second-Class� citizens as it shows the unfairness which exists between government and public sector workers. The teachers are in a tango with government over the full payment of a one-year market premium arrears owed to members of UTAG, forcing the lecturers to go on strike. A meeting between UTAG and government on last Wednesday, ended in a deadock leading to a reinforcement of the strike. The President of UTAG, Anthony Simmons has told �Citi News� that the action by government confirms the treatment of teachers as �second class citizens� in the labour sector. �It simply tells you in this country, we have first class citizens and we have second class citizens. Most probably, the second class citizens are the teachers so it�s up to Ghanaians to judge for themselves,� said Mr. Simmons. He continued, �tell me which teacher teaches for more than 30 years and goes on pension and gets even one quarter of what is being given out? Tell me, 40 years in service, 30 years in service and what is their pension? When we are talking about fair pay for equal jobs for everyone; why should some people come under an umbrella like Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and others not?� Mr. Simmons also indicated that the Teachers will consider the possibility of extending the academic calendar to make up for number of days teachers will be outside the classrooms. �The students, we love them, we have them at heart but you know, �Sika ye mogya� so we need that money to keep us going and if we delay so much, we will make room for the loss. We will extend the calendar,� he disclosed. The total amount have been pegged at about Gh� 39 million as paid to all the 230 Members in the 5th Parliament of the Fourth Republic, as of January 7, 2013. Members who did not return to the House after the 2012 December 7 and 8 elections, took home Gh� 211,000, while those who retained their seats got between Gh� 270,000 and Gh� 275,000, depending on their status in the House. Deputy Public Affairs Director of Parliament, Kate Addo, disclosed on Joy FM, yesterday that the payments were made based on the recommendations by the Chinery-Hesse and the Awurama Addy Committees. According to Ms. Addo, the payments exclude the Gh50,000 rent allowance the legislators are to benefit from. This comes at a time when government says it cannot cough up a total of Gh� 10 million being demanded by striking public university teachers but rather proposed to pay the amount in three installments, on the grounds that there was no money to pay the allowances at one time. Meanwhile, former MP for Jomoro constituency, Samia Yaba Nkrumah is the only MP on record to have kicked against the payment of the ex gratia. She indicated her intention to reject the payment when the issue came up on the floor last year. However, Ms. Kate Addo was unable to confirm if Samia received the payment or not. �I cannot confirm that now�she did that with regard to other payments that have been done,� Kate Addo said.