PPP calls for direct election of MMDCEs

The People's Progressive Party (PPP) is calling for the direct election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the interests of national unity and development.

According to a statement by Kofi Asamoah-Siaw released yesterday, attempts by government to clarify the position of the government on the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) has exposed the government’s lack of commitment to the development of participatory democracy at the district level by ensuring that elected officials of the various categories of assemblies are indeed accountable to the people.

Read the full statement below:

GOVERNMENT LACKS COMMITMENT TO ENSURING LOCAL ACCOUNTABILITY

The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) is happy to note the government's attempt to clarify the position of the CRC on the election of MMDCEs vis-a-vis its own final decision on the processes to be adopted for the emergence of MMDCEs. In a publication in the Daily Graphic of Tuesday 26th March, 2013, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr. Akwasi Oppong-Fosu is reported to have stated in a statement that after critically examining the three proposals “the government sought to bring clarity to the process; as a result the government had decided to adopt a uniform and pragmatic method for the emergence of chief executives for all category of assemblies”.

First of all, the PPP is fully aware of the different recommendations for the different categories of assemblies. So the PPP was right when it stated that the “uniformed” method proposed by government to have all MMDCEs go through the Public Services Commission was not the recommendation of the CRC as the Minister sought to indicate when he met the US Ambassador as was published by the Ghanaian Times newspaper of Tuesday 12th March, 2013.

The PPP’s position has always been for the direct election of all categories of MMDCEs. In the manifesto of the party for the 2012 elections, we advocated to “Give power to the people for development and sponsor changing the Constitution to enable the election of all District Assembly Members and District/Municipal/Metropolitan Chief Executives to ensure local accountability and rapid development”. The PPP was therefore excited to have the CRC recommend for the direct and popular election for Metropolitan Chief Executives. The party still believes in the direct election of all MMDCEs irrespective of the different methods prescribed by the CRC.

Secondly, the Minister’s attempt to clarify the position of the CRC on the matter has exposed the government’s lack of commitment to the development of participatory democracy at the district level by ensuring that elected officials of the various categories of assemblies are indeed accountable to the people. The PPP believes that government had the option to accept the first recommendation to have direct and popular election as the “uniform” method if it was committed to the people’s desire to have their representatives elected at the various levels of the local governance architecture.

According to the CRC’s report, under Chapter Nine paragraph 104, it was recommended that “Parliament should be empowered to determine specific mechanisms for choosing MMDCEs, which should vary according as Metropolis, a Municipality or a District”. However, this recommendation for parliament to determine the mechanism for choosing MMDCEs was roundly rejected by the government in its White Paper and sought to proffer its own “uniform” method of selecting MMDCEs.

According to the White Paper, the government stated that it “does not accept the recommendation that Parliament should be empowered to determine specific mechanisms for choosing MMDCEs. Government does not also accept the recommendation that in Metropolises, MCEs should be popularly elected”. If the recommendations of the CRC were so sacrosanct why then has the government rejected a significant number of the CRC’s recommendations?

We believe the government’s position for the “President to nominate a minimum of 5 persons who would be vetted by the Public Services Commission (PSC) for competence after which 3 nominees would contest in a public election.” will not go far enough to remove doubts of partisanship. It is also not transparent enough to reassure Ghanaians that those who will be elected through this new process, will be incorruptible and competent and will be accountable to their constituents. We strongly believe that the government should implement fully the direct election of all MMDCEs.

We believe that this minimalistic change to the process of appointing MMDCEs does not remove the perception by many Ghanaians that the government wants to preserve control over local budgets, through this process which facilitates partisan sentiments. This definitely does not augur well for national unity and can only fan the Winner-Takes-All mentality which is killing the development of our dear motherland Ghana.

The PPP firmly believes that the people’s desire to have DCE’s elected is to ensure that their Chief Executive is directly accountable to them who elected him/her and not to an appointing authority at the Flagstaff House. Given the poor state of our economy and the accompanying difficulties Ghanaians have been going through, it is not farfetched to conclude that appointed DCEs have been doing the bidding of the central authority and have not vigorously delivered on the social and economic issues confronting the people in their respective jurisdictional enclaves.

There is a pool of talented Ghanaian women and men who are competent, capable, experienced and willing to seek the mandate of the people at the metropolitan, municipal and district levels to contribute meaningfully to the development process. Why do we want to limit the people’s choices to five people who happen to be in the “good” books of the President? Ghanaians should be free to elect whoever they want to govern them at these levels within set procedures and processes. There should be free, fair and competitive elections at all three levels.

The PPP strongly advises the government and our representatives in parliament to implement the direct election of MMDCEs to prove a sincere desire for national unity and rapid local development. When something is broken it must be fixed properly, not tinkered with.

Ghana first. Take a bold step. Let the people decide.

We are wide Awake and watching!

Kofi Asamoah-Siaw National Secretary