The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has rounded a national sensitisation on the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in Ghana.
The election of MMDCEs was a key manifesto promise by then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2016 general elections. Having won power, President Nana Akufo-Addo-led government, through the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has been holding regional sensitisations across the country, aimed at soliciting views from the Ghanaian people through their representatives at the local level, traditional leaders, civil society, political parties’ representatives and the media on the processes of triggering a constitutional amendment leading to the election of MMDCEs on partisan basis. It is also aimed at preparing them for the necessary constitutional, legal and policy review to support the process.
For this be successful, there must be a national referendum of which at least, 40% of registered voters must turn out to cast their votes. For amendment to go through, 75% of the voters must vote YES.
Key among the laws to be reviewed is article 55 of the 1992 Constitution which prevents the election of local leaders on partisan basis.
The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, speaking at the last sensitisation in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, said though the current mode of appointing MMDCEs has been practiced since 1988, this has not promoted the required good governance, local democracy and accountability yearned for, by the local people.
According to her, if MMDCEs are elected on partisan basis, it will promote local democracy by affording local people the opportunity to choose their own leaders; make MMDCEs more responsive and directly accountable to the people. Security of tenure of the elected MMDCEs would be provided for, since when elected, they cannot be sacked by the President and they are also certain to have a minimum of four year term like Members of Parliament; break the winner take-all syndrome in Ghanaian politics which allows parties winning election to appoint people to occupy all the position and also in line with international best practice of allowing citizens to elect their local leaders.
Participants at the programme after they were grouped and discussed the processes to electing MMDCEs unanimously agreed that it is the right way to go. However, most of them identified funding, criteria for candidates of the election, possible sabotage of government by opposition party members who may be elected among others as some of the challenges the system may face.
A technical adviser at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Dr. Eric Oduro Osae, said the guiding principle of Ghana’s local governing system requires that everybody is given the right to participate in decision making at every level of government but with the current system, Ghanaians are being prevented from participating in one aspect of decision making which is very fundamental which is the election of MMDCEs.
He said the current decentralisation policy in Ghana is in five thematic areas and one of such areas is popular participation in government which requires that local government is promoted through a viable stakeholder involvement. According to him, since the past 30 years Ghana has practiced decentralisation, there has not been local level participation and is time this is changed with the election of MMDCEs.
Source: A1radioonline.com/Ghana/101.1FM
