Former Ashanti Regional chairman of the Presiding Members Association, Nana Kofi Senyah has cautioned the Ashanti Regional Minister not to make any move to compromise the non-partisan nature of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
He advised that the provisions of the Local Government Act 936 should be strictly adhered to to ensure that the non-partisan nature of the local government structure is not compromised.
The former Presiding Member of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) pointed to Section 4 (1) of the Local Government Act, Act 936, which enjoins the MMDAs to be a Corporate Body and a Perpetual Succession in its existence while Article 113 (2) mandates Parliament to review their term of office not to exceed one year.
He cautioned the Regional Minister against appointing persons who do not qualify to the District Assemblies because the move might compromise the non-partisan nature of the Local Government struture.
According to him, Section 5 (d) of the Local Government Act enjoins the President to appoint 30% of the total membership of the Assembly in consultation with traditional authority and other interest groups to uphold the non-partisan nature of District Assemblies.
He noted, however, that the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, from reliable sources, seeks to appoint party executives and ex-Presiding members as government appointees contrary to provisions of the law and against his own position that Ex-Presiding members are not eligible to be appointed to the Assemblies.
Nana Senyah has, therefore, cautioned the Minister not to contaminate the system and thus oversee a corrupt local government system by appointing former Presiding Members and party executives to the MMDAs.
Nana Senyah also referred to Section 6 (3) which states that “whenever a situation arises in which the Electoral Commission is unable to conduct a District Level, the President may appoint an Interim Management Committee to perform the functions of the Assembly until elections are conducted”.
According to the local government practitioner, the delay in the inauguration of District Assemblies after the District Level elections in December last year has created a vacuum and suggested that Section 6 (3) must be applied to ensure the integrity of the local government system.
The former KMA PM said the law may be vague but always superior to convention, yet the Local Government Ministry has often used convention and circumvent the law to suit their whims and caprices. E N D.
