Vibrant minority essential for multi-party democracy

Saltpond, Sept. 8, GNA -- Ghana's multiparty democracy would be meaningless without a vibrant minority to ensure checks and balances on the performances of the government.

Mr George Kuntu Blankson, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Mfantseman East, stated this in an address at the Mfantseman District Assembly on Thursday after a meeting to pave the way for the upcoming district level elections.

He said people should stop regarding votes for minority candidates as wasted, as the Minority was an important component of multiparty democracy.

He appealed to political parties to stop working behind the scenes to introduce partisan politics into the district assembly concept as division of the assemblies on party lines would stall development. Mr Robert Quaianoo-Arthur, District Chief Executive, urged members who were seeking re election to conduct clean campaigns devoid of insults, innuendoes and acrimony.

'Ghanaians now have dissenting ears and therefore cannot be taken for a ride,' the DCE noted.

The DCE urged the members to build upon the exposures they had gathered at the Assembly and lead lives worthy of emulation, the DCE advised.

Mr Kwaku Aboagye, District Magistrate, commended the members for hard work and the unity with which they went about with their duties in and out of the Assembly.

Mr Asamoah Adjei Kusi, Presiding Member, expressed gratitude to the members for the support and cooperation, which made the work of the Assembly a success. Each member was paid 1,500,000 cedis as ex-gratia award.

Earlier, Mr Quainoo-Arthur had outlined projects undertaken by the assembly during the four-year term. They included the construction of 21 new blocks of classrooms for schools, 14 toilets, and seven clinics for a number of communities and the rehabilitation of 220.25 kilometres of roads.