Ghanaians urged to stop behaving like ‘doubting Thomas’

The Municipal Chief Executive of the Ga South Municipal Assembly, Mr Jerry Akwei Thompson, has expressed concern about the way and manner in which  partisan politics is preventing members of the two main political parties in the communities from coming together to develop their communities.

He expressed the concern when a durbar at New Weija was shunned by members of the two political parties because they could not find flags or  paraphernalia of  their political parties at the durbar grounds to attract them to the function.

Perennial flooding
Speaking at the durbar to discuss ways of finding lasting solution to the perennial flooding in the area, Mr Thompson urged  residents to stop behaving like the ‘doubting Thomases’ and rally behind the assembly to develop the area since the assemblies were non-partisan.

He said with the construction of the drainage system at New Weija, the assembly was bound to step on people’s toes, especially people who had sited their containers on the shoulders of the road, making movement of pedestrians cumbersome and dangerous.

He said developers building on water courses would not be spared as their structures would be demolished to pave  the way for the construction of the drainage system.

Drainage system
Mr Thompson said the municipal assembly was constructing the 1.6 kilometre drainage system at a cost of GH¢ 1.3 million from its internally generated funds .

He added that even though the assembly was spending so much on the community, the revenue the assembly made from luxurious houses in  high executive areas  as property rate  was not up to GH¢ 20,000.

He urged property owners to pay their rates and taxes promptly to enable the assembly to develop the  municipality to  a standard  that would be of benefit to the residents and the assembly for other districts and municipalities to emulate.

No shoddy work
Mr Obeng  Nyarko, Chief Executive Officer of Openya Construction Company Ltd, the firm working on the drainage system, assured the residents that the project,started in July this year, would be completed on schedule in April  next year before the rains set in to prevent the area from flooding.

He said apart from that he would ensure that the workmanship  of the project would be done to meet best practices  and  standards, adding that shoddy work would not be entertained from the work force  as the assembly would not allow the confidence it had in the company to be abused.

Ms Obuobia Opoku Darko, NDC  parliamentary candidate for Weija /Gbawe Constituency in the 2012 elections, donated 30 streetlight poles  and 35 streetlights to the New Weija Community to be fixed on the Ashbread Road when the drainage works were completed.