Hajia Alima Mahama
Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, has rallied support for the up-coming national referendum in December to decide on whether or not to introduce multi-party elections at the local level through the amendment of Article 55 (3) of the 1992 Constitution.
She said a ‘Yes’ vote for the referendum will allow political parties to sponsor candidates for local level elections including DCEs.
The sector minister said this was important for the country’s decentralization process, adding that the introduction of multi-party elections for Metropolitan Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) will strengthen accountability at the local level.
Hajia Mahama asked the public to therefore shun the argument that party politics is not necessary at the local level.
“Why do we want to superimpose a national structure that is contested on political party lines over local government system that is non-partisan, why do we want to pretend that we can play political parties at national but at the local level we cannot,” she asked.
She said MMDCEs have better functional relationship with their communities insisting ‘it is about development and you want to put people there who would want to do that development for you and that is our commitment to the process.”
She also called for Parliament to amend Article 243 (1) of the 1992 Constitution to allow for election of MMDCEs by citizens, since it is a non entrenched provision.
She was speaking at the national launch of the citizens’ education and awareness raising campaign on the up-coming district level elections and referendum.
The campaign being spearheaded by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Ministry for local Government and Rural Development is to get people at the grassroots level involved in the process of social change and creation of civic awareness on issues of national significance.
The NCCE chairperson, Josephine Nkrumah, in her remarks, said an interactive approach which will include community durbar, talks/fora, focus group discussions, film shows, Vote Yes in December Referendum- HajiaAlima Mahama
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri