<<Print>>

A Former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Kwadwo Adjei-Darko has suggested that power sharing is the surest way to solving Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) long standing impasse.

He recommended to the assembly members to compromise by agreeing to elect New Patriotic Party (NPP) member as a Presiding member whiles the two sides vote for government nominee as a Mayor.

This, he believes will solve the misunderstanding that has been hindering the progress of the assembly.

The assembly yesterday on a fifth attempt failed to elect a presiding member.

Asked on Ultimate Breakfast Show hosted by Lantam Papanko if he believes in assertion that power sharing will solve the problem, he said ’well in the short term, yes, power sharing for KMA will be appropriate, in the sense that both the DCE, MCE and presiding members are to be selected by the assembly.

The compromise here should be the assembly men especially the government appointees, and those known to be National Democratic Congress (NDC) to agree for somebody from the NPP to be elected as the presiding member, so that when the President brings the nominee for Metropolitan Chief Executive position, the other party that is NPP will also team up with the appointees, and NDC people there to endorse whoever is nominated by the president to be the mayor of the assembly’.

He observed that most of the assemblies have been running smoothly without rifts due to the decision taken by the assemblies, attributing partisan politics to collapsing of KMA.

‘The reasons are not far-fetched, the district assembly concept works on non-partisanship constitution, the constitution itself is non-partisan, but unfortunately, all over the country, we find that there is so much partisanship at the assemblies to the extent that decision making is also affected and that is what is going on now in most of the assemblies.

Unfortunately, with the case of KMA instead of compromising here and there as other assemblies have done all over the years, KMA has not been able to do that, but the whole thing boils down to the involvement of partisan politics at the assembly,’ he stated.

The assembly will go to the polls for the sixth time on Friday.