The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) has been accused of killing the policy of decentralization as entailed in the Local Government Act 462 of 1993.
The Ministry is said to have contributed less to the development of the District Assemblies concept and the decentralization policy since its promulgation, even though it has gone through several changes over the years.
Nana Kofi Senyah, the Presiding Member of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), who made the accusation in a chat with The Chronicle, said even though Act 462 had been fashioned to ensure a deepened democracy, decentralization, holistic development and social accountability, the Local Government Ministry has allegedly supervised a subversion of the Local Government system in various ways and rendered it ineffective.
According to Nana Senyah, the sector ministry had in 2010 dissolved Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembles (MMDA’s) without regard to the law, culminating in District Assembly elections being held in piecemeal, thus affecting district Assembly elections negatively.
The Presiding Member, who is the Assembly member for New Suame, in Kumasi, said the disbursement of District Assembly Common Fund which is supposed to be the backbone of most MMDAs, is a major source of concern because it has resulted in the negative performance of some Assemblies.
Nana Senyah said the Ministry, which is supposed to ensure the effective decentralization of powers, functions and resources for holistic development is rather overseeing the mismanagement of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), thus crippling their operations.
He said most of the Common Fund monies are deducted at source to provide unnecessary equipment or services; such as earth moving machines, tractors, fumigation exercises and often without the consent of the MMDAs at a time the Fund, which is supposed to be a quarterly remittances are released after a year or two, and at times not at all, making the Common Fund the common ground for killing the Local Government system.
The Presiding Member noted that it is evident that Ministers are manipulating the Assembly system for the endorsement of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) by withdrawing and replacing government appointees as well as influencing the election of National Association of Local Government Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) executives with the sole aim of weakening the negotiation powers of NALAG.
Nana Senyah also alleged that in spite of the law (Public Procurement Act 663 of 2003 and the Financial Act) for procurement and disposal of assets, the sector Ministry connives with some MMDAs and award contracts without going through the Procurement Law. He said the Local Government Ministry deals directly with MMDAs and bypass the Regional Co-ordinating Councils which has the responsibility of monitoring, co-ordinating and evaluation activities of MMDAs and that in most cases contracts are not even approved by the Assemblies.
He cited the construction of three markets (with Lorry parks) at Aboabo, Atonsu and Asawasi and a land fill facility in Kumasi, under the Ghana Urban Management Project (GUMP) which are currently being executed by the Local Government Ministry without the consent of the General assembly of the KMA.
Nana Senyah pointed out that the current National Sanitation programme being pushed by the Local Government Ministry is an indication of the functional failure and inability of the MMDAs to implement their sanitation policies.
The Presiding Member has, therefore, urged the LGRD Ministry to be up and doing in the administration of its ministerial role of ensuring law and order, to bring efficient development in the Local Government system for the benefit of Ghanaians as established by PNDC Law 2007.
<<Print>>