Majority Leader speaks on democracy, decentralisation

Takoradi, Feb. 16, GNA - Mr. Felix Owusu-Adjapong, Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, on Monday said the NPP Government, in keeping with its democratic traditions, would endeavour to administer the country in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.

He was speaking at a day's workshop on decentralization and democracy at the grassroots, organized by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) for assembly members and members of unit committees, area and town councils and opinion leaders in Takoradi.

Mr Owusu-Adjapong said in furtherance of this, the government is committed to making the decentralization system of administration advocated by the constitution, a reality.

He said district, metropolitan and municipal district assemblies as well as zonal, town and area councils as well as unit committees have a critical role to play in the total development of the country.

Mr Owusu-Adjapong said: "We must not make prudent and effective governance as an issue that should concern only officials and functionaries in Accra and Regional capitals but an issue for those at the grassroots as well."

He urged assembly members, members of the zonal, town and area councils and unit committees, district chief executives and parliamentarians to therefore, collaborate more and eschew divisive tendencies.

Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister of Women and Children's Affairs, said her ministry is promoting a sensitisation programme with the view to creating awareness among women to participate in local governance. She said despite these efforts, there are a number of problems facing Ghanaian women who aspire to be in public life and some of the gender issues affecting women in the country are in the areas of education, health, employment and agriculture.

Mrs Asmah said it is important that female parliamentarians use their positions in Parliament to champion the course of women and must get involved in the general process of the empowerment of the Ghanaian women by taking part in activities geared towards removing the cultural, social, psychological and economic obstacles to the advancement of women.

Mrs Asmah said strong women's presence in the assemblies will re-awaken their community responsibility to the family as a nucleus of society and this would facilitate the community's innovative regulation to support the education and development of children.

Captain Nkrabea Effah-Dartey (Rtd), Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said democracy is the basis for development and that without democracy, development cannot take place. He urged the people to do everything to promote democracy because dictatorship does not work as no one person could control everything in the society.

Captain Effah-Dartey asked unit committees, town and area councils to assist district assemblies to generate funds internally for development.

He said the district assembly common fund is the first step towards decentralization and that the government would fulfil its promise to increase the common fund.

Captain Effah-Dartey said what the government wants to eventually achieve is to ensure total development so that the assemblies would be able to generate funds for development.

Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, Western Regional Minister, who presided, said the biggest challenge facing the country is how to effect smooth and orderly transfer of power through the democratic process.

He said the country was able to organise peaceful elections and transfer of power for over eight years and the whole world is looking up to it to consolidate these gains and democratic structures and principles.

He stressed the need for preserving the country's democracy, particularly at the grassroots level.

Professor Kwesi Jonah, IEA representative and Acting Head of Governance Centre, said Ghana's democracy has been making steady progress since 1992.

He said the IEA wants to ensure that the country's democratisation process continues without obstacles.

Prof. Jonah called on assembly members to contribute to the democratic process in an atmosphere of peace.