Ashaiman residents demand autonomy

Ashaiman, Nov. 20, GNA - Thousands of residents of Ashaiman wearing red bands and singing war songs, on Tuesday took to the streets to embarked on a protest march to back their demand for an autonomous municipal status.

The two-and-a-half hour demonstration started at 08:30 hours with about 500 protestors from the Mandela Park in front of the Ashaiman Divisional Police Headquarters through the Ashaiman Main Market, the night market streets via the main traffic light to the starting point. The demonstrators who kept increasing in numbers as the protest march went on, carried placards some of which read, 'Ashaiman is capable of handling its own affairs', 'the destiny of Ashaiman is in your hands Mr President', 'we have cried for too long'.

Some of them also stated: "we want our own municipality", 'Mr President, fulfil your promise', 'Maxwell Kofi Jumah must go', 'Adenta MP should apologize to the people of Ashaiman', and 'Ashaiman wants its autonomy'.

Eleven assembly members who led the demonstration would later present copies of a resolution dated November 17, 2007 and signed by them to the Subsidiary Legislative Committee of Parliament, Majority and Minority Leaders of Parliament as well as the Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment.

The resolution stated: 'in reference to the 2000 national population and housing census, it was evident that, apart from the 150,000 people recorded, the growth rate for Ashaiman was 4.6 percent as against the national growth rate of 2.0 percent".

It further stated that research conducted by the University College of London to assess the Ashaiman community housing and settlement issues revealed that Ashaiman was the fastest growing urban community in Ghana and West Africa.

The resolution added that Ashaiman was the fifth largest urban community in Ghana and not less than 20 people came to settle in Ashaiman everyday.

"Having been convinced with the 1993 act 462 and the 2000 national population census and other research conducted in Ashaiman, we the Assembly Members of Ashaiman have resolved on this day, Sunday November 17, 2007 at the NADMO office that we should be given our autonomy to give true meaning to the decentralization practice," the resolution stated.

Mr Thomas Adongo, Assembly Member for Obakatse Electoral Area, addressing the demonstrators after the march called on President John Agyekum Kufuor to fulfil his promise of creating Ashaiman municipality. Mr Adongo said Ashaiman could not be under Adenta as according to him the two cities were far apart adding that Adenta was created out of Ashaiman four years ago.

In a recent government announcement of the creation of new districts and municipalities Adenta was designated as the administrative capital for the new Ashaiman-Adenta municipality.