By Felix Engsalige Nyaaba
The National Commission of Civic Education(NCCE) has rekindle community participation in local governance process in the Adentan Municipality and urged residents to actively involves in the assembly programmes to abreast themselves with structures of local government in order to bring development into their localities.
According to the NCCE, the current local government structures through the 1992 constitution and the Local Government Act 246, development process starts from the local level to the national, hence the need for residents to be keen in whatever take on within their communities.
The Municipal Director of NCCE, Madam Zainabu Azumah Braimah, made the statement at a public forum and focus group discussing programme on local governance structures orgainsed by the Commission in Adentan last Wednesday.
She said as part of activities to rekindle community participation in the local governance units at the grassroots and to enhance public awareness on the concept of the local government system, the Municipal Directorate of the NCCE, was embarking upon an educational programme on the structures, roles , functions and the duties of the unit committee and assembly members as well as inter-relationships that exist between them.
Madam Azumah Braimah stated that, unlike the post-colonial period where central government initiate all developmental projects from the national to the local level, the current system was the opposite, adding that it is the local people decide what they need of which such needs are channel through their Unit Committee, to the Assembly member and finally to the central government.
This, the Municipal NCCE Director said, would fast track development process within the grassroots level,while ensuring that projects initiated are actually those that the people needs.
The Municipal Director expressed regret that some of the assembly and unit committee members did not know their roles and responsibilities.
“This if not addressed now, will undermine the purpose of the decentralization process, hence the need for the Commission to embark upon the programme by carrying out Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and Community Durbars in some selected communities across the Municipality to achieve that purpose,” she stressed.
She explained that the discussing would engage participants drawn from the unit committee and assembly members, youth groups, faith based organizations, women’s groups, Community Based Organisations, among others to discuss the key challenges confronting district assembly and unit committee members in the performance of their work.
Madam Braimah bemoaned votes buying and character assassination against opponents as factors that contribute to low voter turnout at District Level Elections and the strategies to strengthen and ensure community participation in the work of the unit committee and assembly members.
The Commission, she noted, would continue to organise community engagements and radio discussions on the elections and topical issues including healthy debates and discussions devoid of insults, political tolerance, peace building, and conflict management among others.
The focus group discussing, she explained also seek to educate the citizenry on the inter-relationship that exist between the unit committee and assembly members, adding that it would empower unit committees to enable them participate in the prioritisation, implementation and monitoring of government programmes and projects.
She however urged community members as well as unit committee members to attend NCCE programmes which were often open to everyone in a town or community where they can express their opinions, present ideas and ask questions of duty bearers or service providers, elected officials and political candidates.
She said to further entrench the country’s democratic credentials, the Commission had outlined a number of programmes of activities for the first quarter of 2016, which include community engagements to enhance community members’ participation in the work of the municipal /district assemblies and unit committees.
Additionally, the Municipal Director said the Constitutional Review Commission(CRC) has also streamlined and recommended some of the structures of the local government process and policies which she said the government would soon conduct a referendum for the citizens to endorse or rejects some of the recommendations.
She noted that the most effective way of promoting good governance in any country was to ensure involvement of ordinary citizens and this could be done when they are made aware of their civic rights and responsibilities.
Madam Braimah said although the NCCE had been mandated to educate the public on the 1992 constitution, it cannot discharge that responsibility alone and stressed the need for civil society organisations' involvement especially at the grassroots.
Some participants shared their views on the matter and called for motivational packages for Unit Committee and assembly members to enhance their primary duties within the local communities.
Other participants were of the view that, the MPs Common Fund should rather be giving to the Assembly members, rather than the MPs since they are directly link to the grassroots than the MPs whose work are to enacts laws in parliament.
In attendance at the community group discussing were members of the general public, assembly members, unit committee members, representatives from traditional authorities, youth and women groups, faith based organisations, identifiable groups including women and People With Disability (PWD) groups within the Adentan Municipality.
Caption: some of the participants at the community focus group discussing.INSET:Madam Zainabu Azumah Braimah.
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