"We feel slighted" - Presiding Members complain

Koforidua, Oct. 27, GNA - Some Presiding Members (PM) of the local government assemblies have said they are not accorded the deserving respect and courtesies by their respective chief executives.

The warned that if immediate measures were not taken to address the situation the simmering tension between them would get out of hands and undermine the local government system.

In an interview with the GNA after their two-day annual national conference at Koforidua, the PMs said though their role was constitutionally deemed critical as captured in the Local Government Service Act, 1993 (Act 462) on the ground, they were discriminated against in the award of logistics for their work, resources and ex-gratia.

The two-day conference was organized by the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) on the theme: 93The Presiding Member - A Critical Player in the Local Government System."

A communiqu=E9 read on their behalf at the end of the conference said: "We wish to propose that all MMDAs who do not have functional offices for Presiding Members should do so=85.And we, the PMs, expect mutual respect from the MMDCEs and the MMDCDs."

"We also want the Administrator of the District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF) to release funds to the NALAG to organize a joint training programme for Presiding Members, MMDCEs and District Coordinating Directors."

Nana Apeasah, PM for Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, read the communiqu=E9, which also asked NALAG to collaborate with the DACF and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) to provide a single manual for Assembly Members and PMs to enable them have to detailed information on their functions and roles.

They also advised the government to release the DACF timely to ensure accelerated development at the local levels, saying that, the DACF be increased from 7.5 per cent to 12 per cent.

"We wish to also mention that the district assemblies' elections should be conterminous with the National elections whereas our term of office is also increased to four years," they said.

On their service conditions, the PMs requested that the MMDAs create a special end of service package for them alongside what is given to assembly members in general.

Some PMs complained that they did not have office accommodation and vehicles to support their work, while their GH¢ 40.00 monthly allowance was meagre