Non-Election Of MMDCEs One Of The Reasons For Accountability Problems

A Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has stated that Ghana�s democratic system whereby Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) are not voted for, �is one of the reasons we have accountability problems in this country�. Yaw Buabeng Asamoah finds it difficult to understand why public offices, on all levels, are not competed for. ��one of the reasons we have accountability problems in this country is the asymmetrical democracy that we have. That at one level, we are competing in a partisan manner and in another level; we pretend to compete in a non partisan manner,� he explained. Stating emphatically that this is his personal opinion and not that of the party, Mr. Buabeng Asamoah argued that MMDCEs must be �elected on political party platforms�. According to the NPP communicator, his suggestion would eliminate �the winner takes all�, in Ghana�s democracy, �where one political party comes into authority with barely 51% of the votes and then the 49 other percentage who voted against, is swept aside completely and the assumption is that, with 1% (difference), one has the right to take decisions for everybody�. �But when they are voted for, it will mean in certain areas, the opposition parties will win the election and the governing party would be compelled to work with them (the opposition),� Yaw Boabeng Asamoah opined. He made these comments on Metro TV�s Good Morning Ghana, during a panel discussion on the directive for 33 MMDCEs to hand over to their respective regional Ministers with immediate effect. A statement signed by the Local Government Minister, Akwasi Opong-Fosu, on Sunday directed 33 MMDCEs who have not been re-nominated to hand over to their respective Regional Ministers with immediate effect. The tenure of the affected officials were not renewed during the ongoing re-nomination or appointment of MMDCEs by President Mahama. As a result, the regional ministers in the nine regions where the appointment of the MMDCEs was not renewed have been asked to assume temporary responsibility of those assemblies.