Dr.
Archibald Letsa (photo credit: IGNetwork)
By: Akpabli Daniel Yao/VR
Also Published in the Finder Newspaper
The Volta Regional Minister Dr.
Archibald Letsa has launched the Citizen Education and Awareness Raising
Campaign on District Level Election (DLES) and referendum to amend article
55(3) of the 1992 constitution of Ghana in the Regional Capital (Ho).
The Minister who was accompanied
by His Deputy Reverend Johnson Avuletey also have in attendance some national
and regional heads of departments including Mr. Samuel Asare Akwaomoh - Deputy
National Chairman, National Commission on Civic Education, Mr. Stephen Adjah -
Regional Director Information Service Department, Mr. Eric Kofi Dzakpasu -
Deputy Regional Director Electoral Commission, Mr. Beneth Ahiable - Commission
on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Mr. Kenneth Kponoh Regional
Director - National Commission on Civic Education, DSP Sadat Yidan – Representative
of the Regional Commander, Ghana Prison Service, Mr. John Amanor Terkpetey –
Regional Director, Labour Department, Heads of departments from the Metropolitan,
Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCE’s) across the Volta Region, Representatives
of some Political Parties some Chiefs and Queens from the Ho, the Assembly
members from Ho and members from the public.
According to Mr. Letsa, the
exercise is poised to take Ghana’s democracy to another level which both major
parties have agreed.
He noted that, if this is carried
out well, the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCE’s)
will be more accountable to the people who elected them.
He said, over the years, we are
playing the “ostrich” kind of attitude by pretending as if the assembly
elections are non-Partisan meanwhile in reality, citizens elect their Assembly
members based on their political affiliations.
“Now we want to do the right
thing by bringing party politics into it” he added.
Mr. Eric Kofi Dzakpasu - Deputy
Volta Regional Director, Electoral Commission, stated that, the launch will
kick start the publicity for the referendum on the processes for the need to
Elect MMDCE’s.
He mentioned that, the Electoral
Commission is very busy due to preparation towards the upcoming District
Elections as well as the the referendum.
He hinted that, forms will be
available for interested peoples who want to contest in the Metropolitan,
Municipal and District Assembly election from Thursday, 3rd to
Saturday, October 5 and between 7 and 11 shall be allocated for vetting and
approval of these forms.
He also noted that, voter turnout on the
district elections has always been on the low across the nation and called on
citizens to come out in their numbers to vote in this referendum in order to
meet the threshold.
Mr. Kenneth Kponoh, the Regional
Director - National Commission on Civic Education, observed that, for us as a
country to achieve the threshold, there is the need for everyone to come in
their number to vote.
He said, 40% turnout and 75%
votes are needed to amend the constitution to enable political party’s participation
in the local government elections and with this, he said, the commission has a
herculean task to surmount to looking at the political history of voter turnout
in previous elections.
He said the National Commission
on Civic Education (NCCE) will reach out to places where there is a human
beings for education and with the hope of support of stakeholders, everything
the commission does will succeed.
Mr. Samuel Asare Akwaomoh -
Deputy National Chairman, National Commission on Civic Education in his turn
explain that, even though the districts elections are non-partisan, we have in
some ways played politics with it over the years.
He observed that, the 30% of the
people with special skills which were to be appointed by the government in the various
Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies are also appointed with the
political perception leaving out the special skills aspect.
He further charged the media to
help reset the agenda so we get the scope for the realization of the need to
bring the partisan participation into it.
“Engage your MP’s more if you are
doing your engagement on this referendum because they also have a role to play
in parliament as far as this process is concern. Let us not see the referendum
as ultimate. Parliament need to amend the article 243(1) for this to be
actionable” he added.
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