The Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, has said the culture whereby Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) operate mainly from their offices is counterproductive to development at the local assembly level.
He has observed most metropolitan, municipal and district assembly (MMDAs) officials are starved of the accurate picture of issues on the ground in their jurisdictions because they have detached themselves from the people they serve.
According to him, MMDAs will be efficient if MMDCEs spend less time at their offices and spend a more significant part of their time on the ground interacting with the people.
The Minister made the observation at a forum at Cape Coast for MMDCEs and their coordinating directors that focused on the effective engagement of key stakeholders in local government such as traditional rulers, people with disability, media practitioners and women.
He said, “The district assembly concept is local government; it is about the people; it is about their welfare, that is, is the marketplace they want to sell in good condition? The clinic where they will go to seek medical care, is it in good shape? As the MCE, you need to knowâ€.
In a communiqué submitted through the Regional Minister to the MMDCEs in the Region, participants implored MMDAs, among other things, to frequently engage “constituents including the most vulnerable in society, notably women and people living with disability†in a very sustainable way.
Again, the communiqué asked for a more intense education of the citizenry on the role of the assemblies for them to be clear about what their taxes are used for and why they should pay taxes.
Source: citinewsroom.com