Accra, June 01,GNA- Mr Stephen Asamoah- Boateng, Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment designate, on Thursday said the idea of electing all District Chief Executives (DCEs) through popular vote was laudable and that he believed in it.
He said when the DCEs are elected, they would be more accountable to the people because they would be aware of the fact that the power they wield flowed directly from the populace.
Mr Asamoah-Boateng, who had appeared before the Parliamentary Appointments Committee however, said that it was an element of election in the choosing of the DCEs because after the nominee is presented by the President, actual voting is done by the Assemblymen and women to finally endorse or do otherwise.
He said the New Patriotic Party (NPP), of which he is a member, had the idea as its policy and would pursue it but said:" it depends on how fast we can move."
"We have the commitment. There is the political will but this cannot be achieved before the 2008 general elections."
On making district Assembly elections partisan, he said:" We have not tested it to the full. Let's work with what we have and when we have attracted the high quality people into the system, we can then decide on what to do next."
The Minister-designate said the two major handicaps confronting the decentralization programme were resource mobilization and disbursement and the lack of Human resource.
He called for the increase in the percentage of National Revenue that flows into the District Assembly common fund from five to ten so that more resources would be available at the district level for development.
"We need to have the right calibre of technocrats at the district level. We also need to have well informed assemblymen who can objectively scrutinize the activities of the Assemblies." On an alleged query given to a senior Immigration officer in 2002, which may have cost the man his job, he said he took that action because he was "rudely brushed aside when he asked the man for an explanation on the repatriation of an alien."
Mr Kodjo Hodare Okae had ordered the repatriation of a Dutch expatriate for allegedly flouting Ghanaian immigration laws. Mr. Asamoah-Boateng said the man had genuine Ghanaian visa and felt that at that time when he was interested in attracting investors into the country, he felt the action was not necessary.
He denied that his action directly contributed to the man's dismissal, which had driven him to a state of extreme poverty. Dr Benjamin Kumbour, member of the Committee, who had asked the question, said though, a Court had ordered the reinstatement of Mr Okae, nothing had been done.
Mr Anthony Evans Amoah, Western Regional Minister Designate, who later appeared before the Committee, defended the hybrid nature of the Ghanaian Constitution where Members of Parliament are made Ministers under a Presidential executive.
" I think its is good idea which has worked for us all this while. I will support an academic and non-partisan appraisal of the system." Mr Amoah is a Member of Parliament for Mpohor Wassa East.
