Dr Papa Kwesi Ndoum, the 2016 Presidential Candidate of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has reiterated that the election of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and Assembly members is non-negotiable.
Dr Ndoum said this on Saturday at the fourth National Convention of the PPP organized in Bolgatanga, Upper East Region, on the theme ”Election of MMDCEs for Rapid National Development”.
The 2016 Presidential Candidate emphasized that the PPP would mount pressure on the government to ensure that it fulfilled the campaign promise it made to the electorate, that it would ensure that MMDCEs and Assembly members were duly elected when given the mandate.
“This promise must be delivered before the 2020 general elections and the PPP will mount pressure to ensure that this campaign promise is fulfilled before the next election. The time has come for us to let the people at the local level make their own decisions”.
Apart from citing the devolution of power from the central government to the local level as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution to buttress his point on the need to elect MMDCEs and Assembly members, Dr Ndoum mentioned countries such as South Africa, UK and Senegal that have been electing their Mayors as part of their governance systems.
He said evidence based research had proven that countries that elected their Mayors developed fast and noted that it would be suicidal to continue making decisions at the National level and pushing them down to the local level for implementation .
He said the One dam one Village and One District, One Factory among other interventions developed by the central government and pushed to the local level for implementation may not work to perfection because every area had its own development peculiarity.
He noted that elected MMDCEs and Assembly members would be held accountable and responsible by the constituents they served, to help fast-track and accelerate the pace of development.
Whilst commending the government for introducing the Free Senior High School Programme, Dr. Ndoum said the PPP and Ghanaians believed in free and compulsory education from the Kindergarten level to Senior High School level not exempting form two and three as it had been done.
Recounting how the Electoral Commission thwarted the Party’s campaign in 2016, Dr Ndoum alleged that it was a deliberate attempt by the Commission and its allies to kick the Party out of the political campaign.
He said the judgment of the High Court that ruled in favour of the Party and paved the way for the Party to resume its campaign activities was clear indication that the Party was not into any mischievous game.
He commended the members and supporters of the Party for supporting them in the 2016 elections and appealed to the followers especially the youth, to support the Party to win the incoming general election scheduled for 2020.
The National Policy Advisor of the Party, Mr Kofi Asamoah Siaw, stressed that the country did not need any constitutional referendum to elect MMDCEs as being perceived by others and indicated that the only thing that was needed was Parliamentary resolution which could be instructed by the President.
Source: ghananewsagency.org