The Member of Parliament for Akim Oda and Chairman of the Local Government Committee is advocating for the scrapping of the MP’s share of the District Assembly Common Fund to give more power and resources to MMDCEs to execute their mandate.
Although he’s a beneficiary of the Fund, he argued that scrapping it would make MMDCEs fully accountable to the people and also curtail the seeming rift between MPs and MMDCEs over whose duty it is to undertake development projects.
Speaking at a Star Ghana program dubbed Promoting Effective Local Governance through Effective Citizenship, Emerging Lessons and Good Practices he said all he wants for his district is for everything to be accounted for.
“Common fund honestly if you ask I would say it should be scrapped. They should allow me to do my work as a lawmaker, go sit in parliament and look at issues. They should give all the money to the DCEs, and now that we are going to elect them. They can hold me accountable”
“I can go there and share my views on what the money should be used for and hold people accountable. As I stand here, I have never written a bill for someone to go and collect and send the invoice to the assembly, I don’t do those things. I would let every pesewa go to the assembly, the chief executive looks at the money and what to do with it. He disburses the money. Nobody comes to me, I don’t want any trouble,” he said.
Last year, May IMANI Africa asked the government to discontinue the disbursement of MPs share of the District Assembly Common Fund.
Executive Director of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, the MPs’ said the common fund was a waste of money and an excuse of the MP to perpetuate himself/herself in power but not necessarily to do the most important job which is making laws.
The presiding Member of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) also descended on Parliamentarians for an allegedly misapplying District Assembly Common Fund for election campaigns instead of on development projects in 2018.
Abraham Boadi revealed that Legislators receive about six tranches of funds for health, education and other commitments, but the money ends up in their personal accounts for political campaigns at the expense of the welfare of constituents.
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By: Farida Yusif | citinewsroom.com | Ghana
