Relegate partisan interest to background - Assembly members
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“Do not allow party inclinations to take precedence over what you are expected to do as a collective group at the assembly to bring rapid growth and development to the communities,” he told the assembly members.
Nana Afrifa, who is also the Toasehene, in an interview, said that the assembly concept which was non-partisan, was not being adhered to since almost all the assembly members now considered partisan interests when making decisions. That he said had made the assembly concept lose its legitimacy.
Nana Afrifa noted that the district assemblies were established under PNDCL 207 as the highest political, legislative, rating and executive authorities in the districts in 1988, among others, to ensure equity, efficiency, transparency and accountability in service delivery, and also strengthen and consolidate democracy through citizens’ participation in the decision-making process.
That, he said, was meant to transfer power to those at the grassroots to enable them experience governance at their doorsteps
He also lauded the assembly concept for giving what he termed “privilege” to those at the grassroots, who hitherto had no access to governance and urged assembly members to sustain that right.
Nana Afrifa expressed regret that the election of members of the assembly as Presiding Members (PMs) had been politicised such that those elected would either be from the party lines, even if the people did not have the competence to lead; a situation, he said was worrying and retarded progress and development.
Nana Toasehene cited the example of Asante-Akim North Municipal Assembly, now Asante-Akim Central Municipal Assembly, where due to partisanship, the assembly could not elect a PM, let alone organise meetings to deliberate on the development of the area for one year.
He stressed that the prevailing division in the municipality could not make the assembly pass the test of the District Development Fund (DDF), which he said could have fetched the assembly additional funds to help its development efforts.
Nana Toasehene also said he was a PM for Nkawie District, now Atwima-Nwabiagya Assembly six consecutive times, during the reign of former President Rawlings and President Kufuor and what he did was to inculcate in the assembly members, the need to relegate their party affiliations to the background when they came to assembly meetings.
He said such efforts yielded dividend as the members became focused and placed premium on the development of their electoral areas and the district as a whole. He added that as a senior colleague, he would be pleased if the assembly members considered their electorates and worked to promote their welfare.
By Nana Yaw Barimah