The People’s National Party (PNP) has commended President John Dramani Mahama for launching a fund in memory of the eight personalities who died in the recent helicopter crash, aimed at sponsoring the education of their children.
However, the party has urged the government to broaden the scope of the initiative beyond the eight individuals.
National Chairperson of the PNP, Madam Janet Nabla, said the fund should be national in character and support the children of all Ghanaians who die while serving the state.
She conveyed the party’s condolences to the families of the men who lost their lives in the line of duty and acknowledged the President’s intention as a step in the right direction. But she argued that the measure is inadequate and unsustainable.
According to her, such funds risk being depleted, discontinued, or politicised, eventually reducing them to token gestures.
The PNP therefore rejects the creation of a temporary fund as the sole intervention and is instead calling for the urgent passage of the National Heroes Dependants Protection Act.
The proposed legislation, the party said, should establish a permanent, state-backed welfare system, funded through the Consolidated Fund and administered by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
Madam Nabla explained that the Act must provide a monthly stipend to widows to cater for their children and, where applicable, dependent parents.
She further stressed that the benefits should be protected from political interference and guaranteed regardless of which party is in power.
In addition, she proposed that the Act ensure educational support for the children of the deceased and priority employment opportunities for them in the public sector after completing tertiary education.
She emphasised that families of citizens who die in service to the nation must not be left at the mercy of politics or fading public sympathy.
Instead, she said, a strong and permanent legal framework is needed to honour their sacrifices for generations to come.
