FAST-TRACK APPOINTMENT OF NEW MM/DCES (PAGE 13)

SOME metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) have called on the transitional team to fast-track the appointment of new MMDCEs, so that they could hand over to them in order to have their peace of mind.
According to them, some hot-headed National Democratic Congress (NDC) activists were harassing them and issuing out threats on them since President J.E.A. Mills gave directives asking them to stay on until further notice.
At a meeting with a member of the Transitional Team in charge of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Mr Kwasi Oppong Ofosu, the Asunafo South District Co-ordinating Director, Mr I.K. Acheampong, expressed concerns about the President’s directives, saying the continuous stay in office of the MMDCEs was a problem to some of them.
Citing instances where some of them were Members of Parliament (MP), he explained that their continuous absence in the districts were slowing down the pace of work, since they had to attend parliamentary proceedings in Accra.
Mr Ofosu, who met with the MMDCEs and some co-ordinating directors from the northern sector of the country, namely Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, Northern and Upper East and West regions in Sunyani to express the transitional team’s appreciation, as well as to discuss matters of mutual concern, explained that the directive by President Atta Mills asking all MMDCEs to remain in office until further notice was to ensure an orderly, peaceful and smooth transition.
He has, therefore, given assurance to all the MMDCEs who served the previous administration to abide by the directives until such a time that he (President Mills) deemed it fit to ask them to leave.
“The country is for all of us and it is the country that we are serving not any political party. I commend you for your patience and ask you to still hold on to your post as declared by President Mills until further notice,” he stressed.
Responding to those concerns, Mr Ofosu assured the sitting MMDCEs to exercise caution, since the President had not asked them to leave and called on supporters of the ruling NDC to desist from such acts and give respect to the President’s directives.
Mr Ofosu further gave the assurance that the NDC government would continue with the Ghana School Feeding Programme and called on NDC party activists who were going around threatening caterers who were contracted under the previous administration to halt such behaviours, saying “even the new government has released some funds for the programme.”
He said it was not the policy direction of the ruling NDC government to party supporters to go about threatening and issuing out threats and orders to appointees under the previous administration who had been asked to stay on. He unequivocally condemned such acts.
Touching on waste management issues by the various district assemblies, the transitional team member said it was a daunting task but, gave the assurance that the new government, considering the importance of sanitation, had made it part of its initial critical issues which would be tackled, and had, therefore, asked all regions and districts to launch their sanitation week.
He also urged MMDCEs who had increased their property rates and other fees paid to their various assemblies to desist from such acts until such a time that the new government would take decision on that issue.