Ghana’s major political parties have endorsed moves to ensure Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) are elected, at the launch of the Citizen’s Education and Awareness Raising Campaign on the Upcoming District Level Elections and Referendum (DLES).
A popular member of the Convention People’s Party Mr. Kwabena Bomfeh, also known as ‘Kabila’, who was speaking on behalf of his party declared the CPP’s full belief in the concept of decentralization, in order to empower the masses with the decision to select local government representatives.
He expressed the party’s total support for the referendum saying: “We believe fully the idea to totally decentralize, and allow our people to choose who should govern them at the district levels. In doing so, we have charged our members across the country, leaders at the regional and constituency levels to actively take charge of the campaign during the referendum on December 17.
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Mr. Bonfeh also appealed to the Local Government minister, Hajia Alima Mahama to galvanize support from the cabinet, in order to fast-track amendment of the 1992 Constitution, while decrying how the constitution restricts MMDCEs. ‘Kabila’ stated that: “We also further say that while believing in the notion or the idea or of allowing our MMDCEs to be accountable to their electorates, we believe the Constitution 1992 by its very nature does not place power at the doorsteps of the MMDCEs in the present circumstance. And so we will appeal to the Minister for Local Government who I am happy to say she sits in cabinet, to take it up with the cabinet of President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo to live up to the promise of overhauling the Constitution 1992 to make it indeed, a development engendered document.â€
The Mayor of Accra, Mr. Mohammed Adjei Sowah spoke on behalf of the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP), and he said being chosen himself to speak on behalf of the party was a clear indication of the full backing MMDCEs gave the decision to allow electorates to choose their local level representatives. The Mayor said:
“The permission given to me to speak for and on behalf of the New Patriotic Party is an indication that MMDCEs are fully in support and we have kickstarted the process by the New Patriotic Party appointing me to speak on their behalf. It is important to state that since the year 2000, our party’s manifestoes have made it very clear that once given the opportunity to rule this country we will make sure that MMDCEs are elected. It is heartwarming that, that opportunity has been given to us now. On behalf of the New Patriotic Party, we fully endorse the process, and charge all our party members across the length and breadth of this country, to fully participate in the process making sure that democracy is deepened and accountability ensured at the local level.â€
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) also declared their support for the moves to decentralize power to the local level, by allowing Ghanaians to elect their local level representatives, when the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for the Krowor Constituency Mrs Agnes Naa Momo Lartey speaking on behalf of the party demanded a process that places the benefit of the Ghanaian people at the core. She stated that:
“We are hoping that you will address all the bottlenecks and all the challenges that will come up, and making sure that the process we are embarking on is fully effective at the end of the day so that the people whom we hope to serve better will benefit from this process, and the NDC is with you.
Representatives of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), as well as the People’s National Convention (PNC), were not present when called upon to deliver their respective messages.
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