Partisan politics hinder development – MCE

Partisan politics among assembly members is the bane of development in local communities, Mr Gordon Asubonteng, Dormaa Central Municipal Chief Executive, said at the weekend.

He expressed concern that many Municipal and District Assemblies were not able to achieve their development plans because partisan politics had gotten into the District Assembly Concept and divided assembly members.

The situation, Mr Asubonteng said, was low at the Dormaa Central Municipal Assembly and commended the assembly members for the unity.

He was speaking at a choral music festival organized by Gift FM, a Dormaa-Ahenkro based local radio station, in collaboration with Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF), a human right and media advocacy Non-Governmental Organisation at Dormaa-Ahenkro.

It was to create an opportunity for the organisers to educate the participants on the need to pay their tax, as part of a project the two organizations were implementing in the Municipality.

The 14-month project, being funded by Star Ghana is aimed at helping the Municipal Assembly to improve on its revenue mobilization as well as strengthening transparency and accountability in the utilization of the revenue.

Mr Asubonteng explained that with support from assembly members, development had stepped up with many of the local communities benefiting from various projects.

He said because of the effectiveness of the assembly members, most of the immediate needs of the local people were easily identified and resolved.

Mr Peter Nketiah, Budget Officer at the Dormaa Central Municipal Assembly, said its revenue generation had improved.

He said the Gift FM Star Ghana project had benefited the assembly so much as it had helped improved and strengthened the assembly’s relationship with the communities.

Mr Nketiah said many tax payers had understood and appreciated the need to pay tax and rates and he was optimistic that the project would be sustained.

Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, Chief Executive Officer of GLOMEF, said it was an offence to evade tax and advised petty traders, hairdressers, operators of barbering salons and landowners to pay their taxes.

He said the assembly would be able to meet the development needs of the people if the people paid their taxes regularly.