Politics of Thursday, 6 February 2014

Source: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/Ultimate Radio

Quit the job and go to school - Angry NDC Youth tell DCE

Some aggrieved youth of the National Democratic Congress in the Lower West Akim constituency of the Eastern Region are threatening a massive demonstration against the Municipal Chief Executive for the area, if the President fails to dismiss him in the shortest possible time.

The aggrieved party members told a news conference the MCE, Hon. George Mensah Akpalu, is only interested in pursuing his education at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration GIMPA, and does not have the interest of party members or the development of the area at heart.

Spokesperson for the group, Fuseini Zuruki told Ultimate Radio’s Eastern Regional Correspondent, Francis Appiah Kubi, that the party members were disappointed in the MCE who they feel has neglected his developmental mandate to the municipality.

They say the MCE has proven to be very stubborn with no sense of innovation, initiative and developmental plans and projects to help the people.

“When you visit other constituencies, MCEs are gathering the youth and sourcing funds from agencies like MASLOC to transform the economic lives of the people. They are into tie and dye, farming and bee keeping and we have an MCE who for four good years doesn’t know anything but to go to school at GIMPA,” he fumed.

The group complained that the MCE, George Mensah Akpalu, is always absent in his office and anytime they visit, his workers claim he is pursuing some courses at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration in Accra.

The irate youth say his action is causing the West Akyim Municipality jobs and infrastructure, leaving the area underdeveloped. They have vowed to sabotage any NDC constituency election which will be organized in the Lower West Akim Constituency if the MCE is not sacked.

Meanwhile, Constituency Secretary for the Lower West Akim Constituency, Kwasi Adu, wants the youth to exercise restraint although he admits there is a break in communication between the MCE and the party.

Agreeing with the disenchanted youth, he explained that the party executives in the constituency somewhere in 2013, made attempts to meet the MCE to thrash out vital issues but had since failed to reach him because of his numerous schedules.

“He has not been able to attend constituency executive meetings and the day we were suppose to meet him, he said he had booked an appointment with the MP for the area and that he was also attending a course” he narrated.

He indicated that the party’s constituency office was still operational as he combined his responsibility as a party constituency secretary with the work of seeing to the running of the office.

He, however confirmed claims by the angry youth that the office was somehow dormant because there was no money from the MCE to run affairs there. He indicated that the party was worried about the developments and gave assurances the issues were going to be addressed with all urgency it deserves.