Referendum: What does the NPP seeks to Achieve in Politicizing Local Government Elections? – CNS

The Coalition for National Sovereignty (CNS) has expressed worry over the move by the Akufo-Addo led government to push for the acceptance of the proposed amendment in local governance on December 17.

According to the CNS, the proposed amendment will have dire consequences on the unity and development at the local level, hence, supporting such a move is a wrong idea.

Addressing the audience in a press conference on Wednesday, the convener of the group, Bernard Mornah, asserted that the push for “yes” votes in the coming referendum is a deceptive scheme by the NPP and should accordingly be condemned.

“We use this opportunity to condemn in no uncertain terms this shameful deception by government amplified by the President himself.”

He mentioned that, the government should advisably concentrate on their earlier promise to oversee the direct election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs)  as written in the NPP 2016 manifesto. He said, the government should not interfere in the selection of District assembly members with partisan politics.

“They had promised in the 2016 manifesto on page 141 that “the NPP will oversee the direct election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) within 24 months of election into office, to coincide with the next District Assembly elections in 2019”.

“While the Coalition may support the idea of popular election of MMDCEs, we are strongly opposed to partisan election of the District Assembly members and the Unit Committee Members.”

Non partisan local  government election 

According to the CNS, governance at the local level will not survive the corruption, nepotism, violence and tension associated with national politics if the amendment is shown the green light.

“Our position to strongly campaign and vote for ‘NO’ is premised on the fact that Ghana cannot survive at the communal level, the kind of political tension, bigotry, violence and the acrimony the characterize our elections.”

They added that the current local government system promotes unity which provides a suitable environment for grassroots development.

“The current non-partisan nature of elections has served the country well as it promotes unity and cohesion at the community level. The non-partisan character of the elections facilitated the mobilization of the people, creates an environment that is conducive for building consensus…These factors are crucial to the development efforts at the grassroots level; an effort that will lift our communities out of the dangerous quagmire of poverty”.

The CNS therefore urged all eligible voters to vote “No” to reject the proposed amendment on Dec 17.

Source: Jonas Danquah || ghananewsonline.com.gh