Governance should be all inclusive – Justice and Peace Commission

By
Benjamin Akoto, GNA 

Koforidua, Oct. 24, GNA – The Koforidua
Diocese of the Catholic Church Coordinator of the Justice and Peace Commission,
Reverend Father Andrews Kwami Dunyo, has called on the citizenry not to leave
governance of the country to only the executive arm of government to run.

According to him, governance actually takes
place at the grassroots; however, most of the people were not aware of their
role and therefore cannot demand for accountability from the duty bearers.

He said this at a community engagement organized
by the Catholic Diocese of Koforidua Justice and Peace Commission to educate
residents of Betom, a community in the New Juaben South Municipality on their
rights and responsibilities as citizens of Ghana.

Rev. Father Dunyo said the effort of the Catholic
Church was to disabuse the minds of the citizenry to actively participate in
local governance.

He expressed the hope that the project would
enable majority of the people to understand that governance was not only at the
executive level, but it resided in the citizenry whose contribution will help
promote good governance and bring about development.

Mr
Ebenezer Acheampong of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), said
the main function of a Member of Parliament (MP) was to enact laws in parliament.

He said
MP’s were to meet with their constituents and explain to them the activities
that took place in parliament and exercise an oversight responsibility on the
activities of the executive arm of government.

Mr
Acheampong said MPs were not the implementers of development projects in the
communities.

He explained that development in communities
does not fall within the mandate of MP’s; however, an MP can lobby for a
project for his constituents.

He urged the people to channel their
development projects through their assembly members to the assemblies, because
the assembly was the right outfit to ensure development in the communities.

GNA