Bosomtwe PM retained sixth time
History was made last Thursday when members of the Bosomtwe District Assembly for the sixth time unanimously retained Mr Joseph Kwasi Asuming, a lawyer, as its Presiding Member (PM).
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This makes him the longest-serving PM in Ghana.
Bosomtwe Assembly
Mr Asuming, who is the assembly member for Woarakose-Onwi Electoral Area in the Bosomtwe District, became a PM in 1998, but resigned in 2005 to undertake a professional law course at the Ghana School of Law.
The PM position is held for two years after which a fresh election is conducted. This means Mr Asuming has already served for 12 years.
In the recent election, supervised by Mrs Ernestina Owusu-Banahene,the Bosomtwe District Electoral Officer, Mr Asuming was the only contestant, and members voted massively to endorse him as their PM.
Out of the 49 members present at the meeting, 45 voted yes, one voted no, while three ballots were rejected.
District Manager
Speaking to the Daily Graphic after the election, Mr Asuming, who is the Asokwa District Manager at the Small Tax office of the Ghana Revenue Authority, said his re-election affirmed the trust members of the assembly had in him.
He assured them of his impartiality to strengthen the unity and peace for the development of the district.
The PM urged assembly members to be abreast of the 1992 Constitution, the assembly model law and standing orders to enable them to understand and perform their functions effectively.
Objectivity
The PM said he was optimistic that if all the assemblies in the country focused on the immediate needs of the people by providing them with their basic facilities such as water, sanitation and health systems and roads, life would become more convenient and better, especially in the rural areas.
Mr Asuming was upbeat that strengthening the grass roots by involving all stakeholders in the decentralisation process would ensure smooth development of the nation.
The PM appealed to assemblies to invest in land banks as an investment which could fetch them money when properly executed.
He was not happy that some assemblies allowed land development to go on without proper documented approval, often leading to haphazard development which in the long run led to disaster.
