Assembly members have been urged to refrain from dabbling in chieftaincy affairs.
“It is not in your power to either install, enskin or destool any chief in Ghana,” Mr Kwesi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, MP for Sunyani East, said at a two-day workshop organized by the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) with sponsorship from the Konrad–Adenauer-Stiftung, a German Political Foundation.
The workshop was to afford the newly elected assembly members the opportunity to learn at firsthand how the District Assembly concept operated as well as their roles and responsibilities.
This, he said, was the preserve of the chieftaincy institution and cautioned them not to align themselves with any faction but rather work in the interest of their various communities.
The MP said the District Assembly, which started in 1988 through the passage of the Local Government law (PNDC 207), was the highest political administrative authority in the district.
“As assembly members you will need to perform well to ensure that the overall objectives of the assembly are achieved,” he said, noting that sight must not be lost of the relevance of the sub-district structures such as the zonal, urban, town and area councils.
He noted that for the assembly system to be effective it was pertinent for it to work with related institutions such as the Regional Coordinating Council and Ministries, Departments and Agencies. He said its achievements were largely through such principal actors.
Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh was of the view that when actors, such as the Presiding Member, District Chief Executive, MP and the District Coordinating Director failed in the their duties, the system was also bound to fail.
Presenting a paper on the topic, “Mobilizing the Community for development”, Mr. Stephen Agyeman–Badu, a Chief Budget Analyst with the Techiman Municipal Assembly, said development evolved around people and that effective mobilization and efficient utilization of resources at their disposal would bring quality change to the people.
He said mobilizing the community for development required effective leadership because only a dynamic leader could turn things around.
Mr Agyeman-Badu urged them not to rely on the little resources from the assembly but to tap into the vast opportunities available to help them succeed in the development of the communities.
He mentioned Non-Governmental Organizations, embassies and credit and loan institutions as areas where they could access assistance.
Mr Isaac Osei Antwi, a former District Chief Executive (DCE) of the Techiman Assembly, stressed the need for a good working relationship between the DCE and assembly members for the successful implementation of development projects.
Nana Okofo Ayapong, Adontehene of Nkoranza Traditional area, who chaired the function, advised the participants to take the deliberations seriously to enable them to make meaningful contributions on the floor of the Assembly.
He advised them to guard against the politicization of issues which most often derailed the development process.