July 6, 2017
In the quest to ensure peaceful co-existence among political actors at the local level, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has advised the 199 approved Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives to avoid conflicts with sitting Members of Parliament, as that frustrates the work of government.
According to the President, a lot of the tension that arises in the districts which frustrates the work of government comes from the fractious relationship between MPs and Chief Executives.
“Please avoid such conflicts and let the MPs get their share of the Common Fund timeously,” he said at an orientation workshop organized for the 199 approved MMDCEs by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, at the Institute of Local Government Services, at Ogbojo.
Stressing that he cannot and would not want to issue any edicts on anybody’s political ambitions, he noted that “many of the tension between Chief Executives and MPs also start when Chief Executives want to run for Parliament.”
“I mention it as something worth keeping in mind as a possible source of trouble. And also, do not overlook one important historical fact. The misfortunes of the ruling parties in the general elections of 2000, 2008 and 2016 had a lot to do with the collapse in relations between Chief Executives and MPs of the then ruling parties,” he said.
To this end, President Akufo-Addo indicated that “the new paradigm of effective governance demands maximum co-operation between Chief Executive, MPs and the officials of the development authorities.”
By: ADR Daily Newsdesk
