Mixed reactions in Bolgatanga over December referendum

As the debate on whether to vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ in the upcoming December 17 referendum rages on, some participants in a sensitisation forum in Bolgatanga on Thursday expressed mixed reactions regarding the exercise.

While some of the participants agreed that the move to vote “Yes” to amend Article 55 (3) of the 1992 Constitution to make the district assemblies and local government units partisan was a good one, others felt that more education and consultation on the exercise needed to be carried out before it was implemented.

The forum was organised by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government as part of its regional tour programme while the participants included assembly members, presiding members, political party representatives, civil society organisations, traditional rulers, district chief executives and religious leaders

Views

The Executive Director of the Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA), Mr Bismark Adongo Ayorogo, indicated that he was yet to be convinced about the merits of voting ‘Yes’ in the referendum although he was against giving too much executive powers to the President.

The Upper East Regional Secretary of the People's National Convention (PNC), Mr Albert Adongo, suggested that the referendum should be postponed to allow for more time to educate the electorate to make informed choices.

Other participants also argued that the exercise would promote too much monetisation to the extent that those who had the leadership qualities but lacked the needed resources might not get the opportunity to be voted into office.

Such a situation, they argued, would impact negatively on the quality of human resources at the local level to be able to champion the development agenda of the people.

The participants, who expressed the need for a critical look at the entire system before it was implemented included the assembly member for Soe-Yipaala in the Bolgatanga Municipality, Mr Augustine Abanbire, the assembly member for Dorongo in the Bolgatanga Municipality, Mr Maxwell Adongo and the Executive Director of Rural Initiative for Self-Empowerment RISE Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, Mr Awal Ahmed Kariama.

Bongo chief

The Paramount Chief of the Bongo Traditional Area, Naba Baba Salifu Atamale Leemyarum, who chaired the forum, entreated stakeholders not to underestimate Ghanaians when it came to matters of elections.

He, however, advised the government to consider paying assembly members adequately just as Members of Parliament since the former would also now be expected to campaign to be elected.

Vote Yes

The Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government, Mr Suleman A.Sanid and Mr Owusu Aduomi, the Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways and a member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government, both entreated the participants to encourage other residents of the Upper East Region to vote Yes in the referendum.

According to them, the benefits of a “Yes” vote far outweighed a “No” vote hence they should not pay attention to the misinformation that was going round that when the exercise was done to amend the Article 55(3) it would create problems for the country.