Cancel December 17 referendum – Dan Botwe snubs NPP’s ‘Yes’ campaign

Ghana’s Minister for Regional Reorganisation and Development, Dan Kwaku Botwe, is calling on his government to postpone the forthcoming referendum on December 17.

The referendum is to decide whether or not to allow political parties participation in local assembly elections.

Mr. Botwe said the referendum, which has generated heated debate among key personalities and institutions in the West African country including the National House of Chiefs is not a “national priority.”

“Why should we spend money on referendum when there is rains and roads and we cannot make roads. Why should we waste so much money on that.

“It is not a national (priority). They should leave it since we are reducing cost. Nothing will change if we postpone it,” the former NPP General Secretary told local station Starr FM.

Meanwhile, the president Nana Akufo-Addo has been campaigning for a ‘Yes’ vote.

President Akufo-Addo said during a tour, “It is time to strip the veneer of non-partisanship away, and look at the reality, which is that they are multi-party and partisan. We want to bring democracy to the local level a step further, and entrust to the people the right to select directly themselves their MMDCEs as well as their MPs, and do so in an open, transparent, and partisan multi-party basis.”

The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is also rooting for ‘Yes’ saying it will serve the nation’s interest.

“We will appeal to the NDC to put the national interest first. The NPP is fully behind the President’s programme and the people’s desire to democratize local governance and enhance accountability at that level. We are also happy to hear that Government intends to continue engaging the NDC and other stakeholders to get this important exercise of strengthening governance at the grassroots fully back on track,” the party’s general secretary John Boadu said at a news conference last week.

He added, “we also call on all patriotic citizens, including followers of NDC and other parties, to do what we all know to be right and support the “Yes” campaign.”

The NPP’s General Secretary ended his statement by reinforcing that a vote for ‘Yes’ is not just an NPP agenda but a national agenda.

Source: Daily Mail GH