Pix: Simon Osei-Mensah – Ashanti Regional Minister
A former Presiding Member of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Nana Kofi Senyah, has lectured the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah on the provisions the Local Government Act 936 regarding the efficient running of the local government system.
The former Ashanti Regional chairman of the Presiding Members Association has 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.
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.
Nana Senyah also referred to Section 6 (3) 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”.
He noted that 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 vague as the law may seem, it is always superior to convention, yet the Local Government Ministry has often used convention and their authority to circumvent the law to suit their whims and caprices.
Nana Senyah, therefore, implored the Regional Minister as the direct representative of the President to ensure that the provisions of the Local Government Act 936 are strictly implemented in the appointment of members to the MMDAs.
He said the adherence to the provisions of the Act would ensure that the non-partisan nature of the Local government structure is not compromised.
He blamed the inefficient implementation of the decentralization process on actions and inactions of past and present governments with the alleged connivance of legislators and cautioned the Regional Minister against appointing persons who do not qualify to the District Assemblies as the move might compromise the non-partisan nature of District Assemblies.
Nana Senyah’s admonition follows his realisation that, like previous administration, the current administration seeks to appoint party.exectives activities and ex-Presiding members as government appointees to District Assemblies in the region contrary to provisions of the law and against Mr. Osei-Mensah’s own position some years back that Ex-Presiding members are not eligible to be appointed to the Assemblies.
He has therefore cautioned the Minister not to contaminate the membership of Assemblies and thus oversee a corrupt local government system by appointing NPP activists to the MMDAs.
Press1News
