Eugene Boakye Antwi, Subin Constituency lawmaker is calling for the sacking of non-performing metropolitan, municipal, and district chief executives (MMDCEs. He, however, opted for elections to be the main determinant for ousting them out of office arguing that they are accountable to the people.
“I fully agree with Henry Quartey. I think that problem is going to be cured by [an] election. Why do we always keep arming our President with more power and unnecessary dismissals? It’s not easy to dismiss somebody. You put somebody in a position for six months and dismiss him. The next person will come you have a problem with them, you dismiss them. Where does that lead us?” he wondered.
His comments come on the heels of the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey entreating the President of the Republic, Nana Akufo-Addo to expel MMDCEs from their offices after six months if they prove incompetent.
During his submission on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, the former deputy Minister for Work and Hosing pointed out that voting on people in public offices will ensure they are accountable and deliver their tasks.
“I am of the firm view that experience has taught us, at least, in this Fourth Republic that election is the way to go because we are accountable to the people. Every four years you have to go back to them, and if your votes are depreciating because of poor visibility or one thing or the other then you get punished for it” he noted.
Eugene Boakye Antwi said he finds no reason the President must be bothered with the task of firing incompetent public servants when a constitutional order can settle the matter.
“I don’t think that we should constantly be expecting the President to be appointing and dismissing people when the electorates can do that easily for us,” he added.
He indicated that depending on who appoints them, it is difficult to sack MMDCEs even though he agrees with Henry Quartey’s request, an electoral process can officially remove them from their offices without complaints.
“What Henry is saying I do agree with him because some MMDCE’s once they are phoned in becomes untouchable depending on where the appointment came from.”
The political commentator explained how MMDCEs have not fostered good working relationships with M.Ps resulting in the defeat of the two major political parties in some general elections, suggesting that the new initiative is in the right direction.
“I think in this fourth republic, most of our electoral defeats thus NPP or NDC are caused by the MMDCEs when there is tension at the base between the MMDCE’s and MPs and what have you. It leads to rapture. That rapture inevitably or ultimately leads to electoral loss,” he added.
By: Ernest Tetteh Kabu | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
