‘Use of electoral areas to create districts can spark conflict’
The Ga East Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Kwao Sackey, has said the use of electoral areas as criteria for the creation of new districts can spark serious boundary conflict among districts in the country.
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“The moment you use electoral boundaries to determine districts, you are going to have serious conflict. We use permanent features such as major roads and tension poles to determine boundaries,” he said.
In an interview after he had addressed the Municipal Assembly Mr Sackey said since 2004, districts had been created based on electoral areas, stressing that it was a major potential for conflict.
He said, for instance, that in 1998, the districts were created based on permanent features and that there were not much problems.
“But now, because of the electoral areas, the moment the person acquires a piece of land from, for instance, chief ‘A’ across the street, they ignore the permanent boundary lines and cross into the other,” Mr Sackey explained.
He has, therefore, appealed to the Electoral Commission to look into the issue with the view to finding a permanent solution to it.
Conflicts
Addressing the assembly earlier, Mr Sackey informed the house that there were emerging boundary problems between the municipal and the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Assembly.
“About a month ago, some officials of the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Assembly went to remove some signboards placed along our common boundaries,” he narrated.
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He condemned the action of the officers, explaining that he had already met with the MCE of La Nkwantanang, “and he has assured me of his co-operation.”
Mr Sackey said a joint boundary visitation was organised on March 7, 2014, and was hopeful the outcome of the visit would put to rest “whatever doubt we have in our minds concening the boundaries.”
He said the municipal was going to conduct similar joint visitation with the Akwapim South (Aburi), Ga West (Amasaman) and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to avoid future conflicts.
Revenue
On revenues, he announced that at the close of December 2013, the assembly fell short by 0.3 per cent of what was realised in 2012.
He said in 2012, the assembly generated GHc1,928,429.50 but dropped to GHC1,761560.17 at the close of December 31, 2013.
Mr Sackey, however, explained that there was a short fall of revenue for 2013 largely because of the carving of the La Nkwantanang/Madina Municipal Assembly from the Ga East Municipal Assembly.
End of service benefits
Touching on the end of service benefits for assembly members, he said a committee, tasked to discuss it had proposed GHc5,000 for each in a report presented to the Executive Committee.
He said even though the Executive Committee had approved it in principle, management would make the necessary consultation to see if the amount could be paid.
Works Department
Welcoming the assembly members, the Presiding Officer of the assembly, Mr Edward A. Aryee, reminded the MCE the need to enforce the monitoring and supervision regime of the Works Department, "in the wake of recent collapsing of buildings in the capital," to avert any such eventuality in the municipality.
"Let us endeavour to make available to the directorate the needed logistics, especially a vehicle to facilitate such field visits," he stressed.