DCE post no more job for the boys - Minister

December 17 has been slated for the referendum which seeks to pave way for political parties to participate in district level elections, and the entire voter population has been urged to go out in their numbers to vote overwhelming in support.

However, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) is further looking forward to the passage of the bill to amend Article 243(1) when Parliament resumes this month.

A successful amendment of Article 243(1) and 55(3) of the 1992 Constitution would end the dreams of foot soldiers and supporters of the political parties aiming to become future Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

By this, the positions of MMDCEs would no longer be a reward for ruling political parties faithful, but an office that would be earned through vigorous work and campaigns.

The MLGRD Minister, Hajia Alima Mahama, at the Editors Forum on the 2019 referendum to amend Article 55(3) especially, yesterday in Accra, said emphatically that political parties’ supporters should take their eyes off the MMDCEs positions.

“If some people think they have helped their party to win, so they want the MMDCE position, they should take their eye off. There are several positions that they can lobby for,” she stated.

According to her, the aim of this process was to ensure that the citizens are given some of the powers of the president to elect their local authorities.

She believes the MMDCEs currently do not have a functional relationship with the people at the grassroots because they did not elect them.

The benefits to be derived if the process is adopted by the electorate and parliamentarians were that it would allow democracy to flourish and develop to be fast-tracked at the local level.

Also, politicisation of the local elections will compel political parties to mobilise resources to support their choice of candidate, as well as the electorate to go out in their numbers to vote.

The idea was that the elected MMDCEs would want another term, as well as leaving a legacy that their districts should remember them for, hence, will work hard to develop areas that hitherto were lagging behind in development.

This, the Minister explained, was that the district assemblies would have the resources to push the development agenda of their respective areas, adding: “We will see remarkable changes in our communities, because the DCEs want to leave a legacy.”

She added that it would also solve the problem of the ‘winner-takes-it-all’ syndrome that many are criticising. To her, it should not be a big deal if the opposition parties’ members win to become MMDCEs.

Hajia Alima Mahama further explained that referendum, happening on 17th December, was to make the election of assembly members partisan and not for the election of the MMDCEs.

She urged the electorates to come out in their numbers to vote yes in the referendum since it requires at least 40 per cent of registered voters, and not less than 75 per cent of them casting their votes in favour of the referendum question.

The Minister added that the forum was also to intensify public awareness on the need to vote massively in the referendum to ensure the amendment of the Constitutional Article that would allow multi-party participation in District Level Elections.

Similarly, the public was also entreated to prevail upon members of Parliament to approve the bill to amend Article 243(1) when the House resumes in October.