General News of Saturday, 14 March 2015
Source: citifmonline.com
A former Local Government Minister and Member of Parliament for Wa West, Joseph Yileh Chireh, has criticised a deputy Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Nii Lamptey Vanderpuije, for wrongful conduct.
He made the charge on the floor of Parliament on Friday, after it emerged that the Deputy Minister had reportedly issued directive indicating how the various district assemblies should run in the face of a looming vacuum forced by the cancelation of the March 3 District Assembly elections.
The Wa West MP who was speaking shortly before MPs adopted the Business Statement for next week said his directive was inappropriate.
“Indeed, we have a deputy minister issuing the directive, which is absolutely not right because there should have been an active minister at least with the Authority of the Minister”.
He remarked that the Members of Parliament were not consulted before the ministry took such a decision.
Dissolution of MMDAs constitutional
Meanwhile The Deputy Local Government Minister, Nii Lante Vanderpuije has defended the ministry’s directive asking Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to take over the day-to-day administrative functions of their Assemblies.
Nii Lantey said “the constitution mandates the tenure of the district assemblies. No one can usurp its authority.”
Speaking on Eyewitness News, he explained that since it will be impossible to extend the tenure of the members of the district assemblies, it sought to “respect the constitution” by taking such a decision.
“We sought to preempt any steps that would lead to litigation we have safeguarded the constitution of Ghana.”
The Local Government Ministry’s decision has drawn massive criticism from some Members of Parliament (MPs), however responding to them , Nii Lante said the same MPs would have “attacked the President if the assemblies had gone a day without heads”.