A special Town Hall meeting has been organized at the Bolgatanga East District Assembly of the Upper East Region, tailored towards the Referendum and the District and local level elections, following the instructions of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
The Electoral Commission in Consultation with stakeholders has scheduled December 17, 2019 for the Referendum and District and local level elections.
The meeting, second in succession within two months, brought together the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the Information Services Department (ISD) Opinion leaders, Chiefs, Assembly men and women, elders Departmental Heads, the media among others.
The aim was to interact, clear perceptions and answer nagging issues regarding the impending exercise.
The NCCE and the ISD took turns and educate the participants their mandate and the role they play.
They have been moving round the schools, market places, Lorry parks and the various communities and will soon be visiting the various Chiefs places.
In an interview with Radio Ghana, the Regional Director of NCCE, Pontus Pilate Baba Aparby indicated that, NCCE is let the citizens under the reason why the Amendment is being called upon and more importantly, that the referendum is not about the elections of Metropolitans, Municipal and District Chiefs Executives MMDCEs that is the preserve of parliament based on article 243 1 which parliament will decide on.
He added that, the citizens’ concerns at the referendum are to elect \unit committee members, Assembly members and deciding whether there is need for political parties to take part at the local level elections and become active or not.
The referendum all about rejecting the proposal or accepting it, he added. Mr. Aparby indicated that, the issue of electing MMDCEs is an eventual one that will come in 2021.
The Upper East Regional Director of the Information Services Department (ISD), Bennin Issifu Douri stated that, ISD is to inform the Ghanaian populace about government policies and programmes and elicit feedback to government for better policy planning.
Mr. Douri stated that, the ISD as an executive arm of government, they are not disassociating themselves from anything that has to do with the implementation of government policies and programmes.
If that is done, it means the IDS is reneging from the very oath they swar as civil servants to be loyal and implement government policies and programmes as they are by way of informing the people of the country about what government wants, intend and has done going forward.
The District Chief Executive Hon, Rev Emmanuel Abugre Abole said, the media in crucial in information dissemination, but in a typical local situation there is the need for an Information Van to go round the communities to inform the people as well, especially, in the light of wanting it to be vigorous, hence the organization of the special Town Hall Meeting.
Story filed by Emmanuel Akayeti
