Jobila Zakari, the Techiman Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Bono East Region, has urged the citizenry to participate massively in the upcoming referendum for the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) scheduled for December this year.
He explained that the essence of the referendum was to seek the opinion of the citizenry on whether the president should continue to appoint MMDCEs or not and the referendum was seeking to amend Articles 243 (1) and 55 (3) which were among entrenched provisions in the 1992 Fourth Republican Constitution.
Mr Zakari gave the advice at a public forum organised by the Justice and Peace Committee of the Holy Family Catholic Church at Kenten in the Techiman Municipality of the Bono East Region.
“As stipulated in the constitution, Article 243 (1) empowers the president to appoint MMDCEs while Article 55 (3) also prohibits partisan elections to public office at the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assembly (MMDA) level and the constitutional amendment, if effected will improve decentralisation, participatory processes, ensure transparency and public accountability, probity and transparency in the local governance system to enhance the country’s democratic dispensation,” he stressed.
Issah Adam, the assembly member for Kenten Electoral Area, expressed the need for MMDCEs to be elected on a partisan basis since that would empower the electorate to hold them accountable for their stewardship. –GNA
