Hajia Alima Mahama
The
Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, has
encouraged senior media practitioners to champion the education of the public
on the amendment of some provisions of the 1992 constitution, notably Article
55 (3) and Article 243 (1).
The
amendment of Article 243 (1) will allow for the election of Metropolitan
Municipal and Districts Chief Executives (MMDCEs) through universal adult
suffrage instead of the current situation where the president appoints people
into that position.
While
the amendment of the entrenched clause, Article 55 (3) (through a referendum,
in line with the provision of Article 290) will see the introduction of multiparty
system at the district level elections.
Hajia Mahama, opening a day’s meeting with news editors in Accra, said it was important for the two institutions to collaborate and promote the understanding of the processes involved in the referendum set for December, 17, 2019.
“We
strongly believe that collaboration between the Ministry and your media houses
will promote understanding of the process involved and yield substantial
benefit towards deepening decentralization and enhancing citizen participation
in local government,” she said.
She
said in line with deepening decentralization and fulfillment of the desire of
the populace to elect MMDCEs, government initiated processes to amend certain
provisions of the constitution considered as obstacles to the attainment of
participation in local government elections in Ghana.
Hajia
Mahama said the amendment of Article 243 (1) bill had gone through all required
steps and was now in Parliament, adding that the sub-committee on
Constitutional, Legal and Parliament Affairs of the house, at its meeting on
the bill reached a consensus for its passage.
“Outstanding
matter in Parliament now is the vote on the bill. We need two thirds of Parliament
to vote for the bill to be passed and this is where we need a consensus because
no political party in Parliament has a two thirds majority.” she said.
Highlighting
the referendum which when voted ‘Yes’ will have Article 55 (3), amended, she
said at least 40 per cent of registered voters had to turn up for the December
17, 2019 to vote and out of that number not less than 75 per cent of them must
cast their votes in favour of the referendum question.
“Despite
indications of broad support, there is the need to intensify education and
awareness of the Ghanaian voter on the importance of coming out in their
numbers to vote massively to ensure the amendment of the article, to allow
multi-party participation in District Level Elections,” she indicated.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
