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Kufuor warns DCEs against divisive
acts
Akim Oda, July 14,
GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Friday said the
government would not tolerate any metropolitan, municipal
and district chef executive whose activities would lead to
the division of their people.
This was contained in a speech read for him at the opening
of the mid-year review meeting of regional ministers,
metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives.
Mr Kwadwo Mpiani, Chief of Staff and Minister of
Presidential Affairs, read the President's address at the
three-day meeting that is being held under the theme
"showing results, local implementation of national
initiative."
President Kufuor said the Environmental Health Inspection
Unit has been re-introduced in the assembly to help maintain
good environmental practices at the local level.
He advised the executives to ensure that environmental
health inspectors were used with circumspection and reminded
them that any activity by the inspectors that would be
interpreted to be harassment of the people would be
counterproductive.
The President called on the district political heads to use
waste in their districts to generate energy and
congratulated the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly for the
initiative it has taken in that direction.
He assured them that their poor service conditions was
receiving attention.
Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, the Minister of Local
Government, Rural Development and Environment, said despite
the achievements of the government, a section of the public
kept complaining and lambasting the government "for failing
to attend to their plight."
He told the executives to sharpen their marketing and
publicity skills to make the people appreciate the dramatic
improvement that is taking place in the country.
The minister called on people living in areas that have not
been covered to bear with the government and assured that
development would get to them in due course.
He said the ministry was working with cabinet to raise the
district assembly's share of the Common Fund from five per
cent to seven-and-half per cent.
The ministry is also pursuing the passage of the Municipal
Finance Bill to enable municipal and metropolitan assemblies
to raise financial resources for development projects.
The President of the National Association of Local
Governments (NALAG), Mr Kyei Bafuor, called for improvement
in the working conditions of district chief executives to
meet the challenges of their work.
He said at the end of their service to the nation, while
end-of-service benefits of other political appointees were
paid promptly, those for district chief executives were
subjected to all forms of conditions and called for equal
treatment for all appointees.
Mr Bafuor appealed to the executive to put in place a
mechanism to help eradicate the perceived corruption in the
assemblies.
GNA
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