[ 2013-07-30 ]

CEOs for the Assemblies: The President still doesn’t get it
My good friends, I have had cause to complain
about the manner in which the Presidency is
handling the nomination of CEOs for the
Metropolitan/Municipal/ District Assemblies
because of the tension and street demonstrations
and vandalism that it has provoked.

I have drawn attention to the negative impact of
such an approach and suggested that the President
should reach out to the aggrieved people in the
various communities to settle issues amicably.
Dialogue and consultation are the best means to
resolve the impasse. Even before the dust could
settle, the government has come out with a
statement and a directive that will definitely not
stabilize the situation. Let’s know why.

1 PROTESTS AGAINST THE PRESIDENT’S NOMINEES
The government has directed the security agencies
to ruthlessly deal with persons violently
demonstrating and destroying properties in protest
against the nomination of some Municipal and
District Chief Executives (MCEs and DCEs).

Local Government Minister, Akwasi Oppong-Fosu,
says government condemns in no uncertain terms the
violent approach adopted by some persons to
register their displeasure.

“I disagree with the methods of some of our
party members in terms of the violence associated
with their protests”, he told Joy News.
According to him, although the NDC members have
the right to protest, they must not take the law
into their hands by causing havoc.

He also dismissed suggestions that many of the
President’s DCEs and MCEs are being rejected.

According to him, facts on the ground rather show
that there have been minimal rejections relative
to previous nominations. He said in the Greater
Accra Region and Western Region, nominations
received massive support, but admitted that only 2
nominations were rejected in the Western Region.
“Like in the installation of chiefs... many
interests come to play so we cannot have a
situation where the entire interest groups within
the party will all agree on one person or
candidate”, he explained. He said the impression
that there are massive rejections of all DCE and
MCE nominations is false.

2. DIRECTIVE TO VACATE POST
The Minister of Local Government and Rural
Development, Mr. Akwasi Oppong Ofosu has released
a list of Metropolis, Municipal and District Chief
Executives (MMDCEs) who have been asked to vacate
their post.

A statement signed by the sector minister on
Sunday said the affected MMDCEs are those who have
not been re-nominated and have been directed to
hand over to their respective Regional Ministers
with immediate effect.

In all, 33 are affected and come from the Ashanti
Region (6); Brong-Ahafo Region (4); Central Region
(2); Great Accra Region (4); Northern Region (4);
Upper-East Region (3); Upper-West Region (3);
Volta Region (6); and Western Region (1).
The statement did not give any reason for the
government’s directive even though there is an
explanation that they were not re-nominated.

MY COMMENTS
I insist that the manner in which the Presidency
is tackling these issues is disgusting and should
not be sustained or encouraged. What Mr.
Oppong-Fosu put out there is in a very bad taste.


1. What prevents the Presidency from reaching out
to aggrieved people in the affected localities to
assuage their fears, doubts, and suspicions so
they can understand what is at stake? After all,
the CEOS will need the cooperation and goodwill of
the local people to administer affairs properly.
They are being put in office to serve the people,
not the appointing authorities or themselves.
Democracy enjoins us all to jaw-jaw and not
war-war. Antagonizing and alienating the people is
not part of the democratic ideal that Ghana
seeks.

2. What is about those “rejected” appointees
that entices the appointing authority but repels
the very people that they are being appointed to
lead? Do these people owe allegiance to the people
in the various communities or to the President
nominating them? What for? Why?

3. If, indeed, we are interested in growing our
democracy and ensuring that the local government
structures mature, then, there is no need for this
stringent approach. The Local Government Act (Act
462) should help the Assemblies gradually become
self-accounting, meaning that they shouldn’t be
so tied to the apron strings of Central Government
in Accra. The difference can start being made at
the level of CEOs to head the Assemblies. The
local residents expect their CEOs to be people
that they want to lead them, not anybody imposed
on them, regardless of political party interests.
That is the missing link in what has been
unfolding all this while.

4. The government’s entrenched position won’t
help it maximize political capital. After all,
politics dwells on NUMBERS, especially if we
recall what the Tain Constituency in the
Brong-Ahafo region did to separate ex-President
Mills from Akufo-Addo at Election 2008.

In all political set-ups, numbers count and the
government must be wary of the situation that is
fast developing as a result of its intransigence.
It is sowing a bad seed now that will blossom into
political liability at election time unless the
situation changes for the better. Once these
aggrieved people take a stand against the
government for not being listened to, nothing will
move them at election time. Why should the
President’s decisions antagonize them now only
for strenuous efforts to begin being made close to
election time to attempt wooing these people for
their votes?

5. Considering the rumpus (which Oppong-Fosu
thinks is nothing to bother about), why can’t
Parliament initiate moves to pass a law for these
CEOs to be elected, after all? When the NPP mooted
this idea before the 2000 elections, it was
laughed off as an impossibility; in power, Kufuor
couldn’t muster up enough political will to get
a law passed on it; the late Mills couldn’t do
it either; neither is there any indication that
President Mahama will do it. But the reality is
that if the people get the chance to elect their
own CEOs, there will be no room for physical
demonstrations and vandalism to register protests
at those being imposed on them.

6. Couldn’t the government have been more civil
and mature in removing these 33 CEOs from office
without creating the impression that they are
undesirables being got rid of unceremoniously?
Over the years, appointments are made and removal
from office done in too hostile a manner as to
create the impression that we don’t respect each
other. In a democracy, it shouldn’t be so.
7.

Oppong-Fosu’s analogy regarding the installation
of chiefs and many interests coming to play is
idiotic in partisan political terms. Is he aware
that the numerous chieftaincy disputes and social
strife that we have in the country are caused by
the inability of the kingmakers to use
consultation and dialogue to settle on acceptable
candidates? Is that what should motivate a
government in its handling of this matter
regarding the Assemblies? Even if there are
diverse conflicting interests, can’t the
government be diplomatic in handling the situation
so it doesn’t antagonize as many people in as
many localities all over the country as is the
case now (and will intensify soon)?

There are many other reasons why the method being
used by the Presidency to handle this local
government issue is wrong. I will continue to be
brazen in saying that unless President Mahama
doesn’t see what some of us have seen, he should
dig in and antagonize the people all over the
place. Then, when Election 2016 approaches, the
government and NDC campaign team should do
overtime, using every means available, to undo the
harm that is being done today. Why do these people
like making things difficult for themselves?
I shall return…

• E-mail: mjbokor@yahoo.com

Source - Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor

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