Differences emerge between presiding members and DCEs

The Conference of Presiding Members (PMs) of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Southern sector held at Juapong on Friday brought to the fore sharp differences between the PMs and their Chief Executives characterised by struggle for supremacy, political ambition and allegiance to different political persuasions.

This picture came out from syndicate reports of the conference, discussed during the working session of the forum, which was under the theme, "towards strengthening decentralisation".

The PMs were from the Volta, Eastern, Greater Accra and Central regions.

Some of the critical issues they raised were the lack of offices in which they could carry out their consultations, thereby limiting their work in the assemblies to presiding over sessions.

The PMs also observed that some of the DCEs who have ambitions to enter Parliament tended to be less co-operative with Members of Parliament irrespective of the Political parties they belonged to.

Additionally the DCEs allegiance to the President tended to make them assume airs of supremacy over other functionaries in the Assemblies.

The PMs also complained of lack of information flow to them from the DCEs and bureaucrats in the decentralised departments.

They said some DCEs were more predisposed towards PMs they could manipulate and tended to alienate and frustrate those they could not bend.

They observed that lack of a mechanism to resolve, conflict of interests among the various players in the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies tended to institutionalise such differences to the detriment of the effective functioning of the Assembly machinery.

The PMs however, impressed it upon themselves that they have to understand and be knowledgeable about their functions and roles in their Assemblies in order that they were effective.

They brainstorm on their differences with a view strengthening their co-operation and teamwork.

In an address read for him, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development called on the PMs to ensure accountability of the Assemblies to the public.

He suggested to the Assemblies to hold regular public forums apart from the ones held once every year throughout the country as a way of opening up the Assemblies to public scrutiny.

Mr Baah-Wiredu's address, delivered by Hajia Alima Mahama one of his deputies asked the Assemblies to publish newsletters on their activities and distribute these among their communities to get them informed about the Assemblies work.

He said the results from such information dissemination would be worth the financial costs involved.

Mr Baah-Wiredu drew the attention of the PMs, to allegations of corruption against the Assemblies in the media and urged them to ensure that the Assemblies were open in their relations with the media to curtail speculations.

He reminded the PMs that the expectations of the people are high and as front-liners in the exercise of political authority in the district, municipal and metropolitan areas, they need to reflect on ways to strengthen the Assemblies to execute their development agenda.