DCEs are endangered spices - Regional Minister

Accra, Oct. 28, GNA - Nii Armah Ashitey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, on Wednesday said the office of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief executives were vulnerable because the President and assembly members could remove them from office.

Under the Local Government Act, the President is enjoined to consult the traditional leaders and other interest groups in the appointment of DCE to be endorsed by the assembly members.

But they could be fired by either the President or through a vote of no-confidence by the assembly members.

Mr Ashitey said the law therefore made the DCE vulnerable to the two institutions, the Executive arm of Government and the Assembly, instead of the local authorities whose interest the DCE is supposed to serve. "If you love your job, you must tacitly play to the dictate of the two bodies," the Regional Minister stated at a day's consultative forum organized by the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition in Accra.

The forum focused on the challenges of strengthening public accountability through the recruitment process of a district political head. It was also to examine the various options available to Ghanaians in the recruitment of a district political head.

Participants included current and former chief executives, assembly members, political party representatives, traditional rulers, heads of selected state institutions and civil society organizations. Mr Ashitey who endorsed the government's position on the appointment of the DCEs however stressed the need to amend the act cautiously. He said the problem facing the assemblies were not based on the selection of the DCE, but rather the administrative procedures and called for critical analysis of the concept before any amendments. Mr Ashitey said Ghana's decentralization program, which begun in 1988, was to promote effective and accountable local government. The district assemblies and the local government units were designated as the highest political administrative authority with powers to plan, develop, and budget for the jurisdiction.

Mr Kwamena Ahwoi, former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said Ghana's development would be enhanced if Ghanaians were allowed to make decisions on their own rather than a central body acting on behalf of the people.

He said endless resources were wasted trying to figure out whether to appoint or elect District Chief Executives. Mr Ahwoi said DCEs should be appointed by government since an elected DCE could be from an opposing political party and could consequently disrupt government's efforts for progress and development. Mr Ahwoi suggested that the government should stop the appointment of 30 per cent of the membership of District, Municipal and Metropolitan (MMDCEs) Assemblies and allow traditional authorities do that. He said since the assemblies and traditional rulers sought the welfare of the people, it was only good that the two institutions worked very closely with each other to enhance development. According to him, giving the chance to the traditional rulers, as was the practice in the early 1950s would promote harmony and enhance the work of the assemblies.

Dr Kwesi Jonah, a lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, said for people to enter into politics they must be elected and not nominated in order to stop corruption, patronage and other corrupt practices in local governance. He said Ghanaians with requisite education should participate in the governance of the country because politics was not as dirty as perceived by the public.

Dr Jonah said chiefs should be allowed to play roles in the local governance system to instill their non partisan character into Ghanaians. He said for the public to understand the local governance system, there should be a lot of civic education to broaden their knowledge about the system.

Mrs Florence Dennis, Executive Director of GACC, said recommendations from the consultative process would inform an advocacy tool for the GACC to help promote efficiency and improved accountability at the district level. Mr. Bright Blewu, General Secretary of the Ghana Journalists Association, said corruption at the local government level was a serious problem that needed to be tackled. "Local government is at the centre of our national governance and to avoid corruption, various institutions must be properly strengthened to make them more effective in checking it," he said.