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The Progressive People�s Party is worried with the intransigent position adopted by the NDC government with respect to the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs). The latest announcement was carried on the front page of the Ghanaian Times newspaper of Tuesday 12th March, 2013 that the government intends to cause the election of the MMDCEs. The Minister of Local Government & Rural Development, Mr. Akwasi Oppong-Fosu said this practice was in line with the recommendations of the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC). He reiterated the government�s proposal on the guidelines for the elections of the MMDCEs. Mr. Oppong-Fosu said the President would nominate five candidates for the position of MMDCEs. He said the names would then be forwarded to the Public Services Commission. The Commission would then do due diligence on their capabilities through thorough interviewing sessions. The Commission would shortlist three candidates who would be presented to the electorate for campaigning and election. He said the election would be non-partisan as each candidate would be expected to contest on their own merit. The PPP wishes to remind the Minister of Local Government & Rural Development that the recommendation of the CRC was for direct and popular election of MMDCEs to which recommendation the PPP strongly subscribe. The PPP rejects the government�s proposed guidelines for a number of reasons: � That the government�s proposal of nominating five candidates to go through the proposed process is an insult to the intelligence of the people of Ghana. What is the point of a rigged election? Every Ghanaian with a desire to change his or her local community must be allowed to nominate himself/herself for the office of Chief Executive. This constitutional change is critical to the progress of our nation. � According to the Chairman of the CRC, Justice Albert Kodzo Fiadjoe, the CRC made recommendations �for deeper decentralization through the transfer of more funds from the centre to the districts; moving more power to the units by providing for the direct and popular election of Metropolitan and Municipal Chief Executives�. � That the NDC and NPP have resisted pursuing this constitutional change because they want to preserve control over local budgets. They want to ensure that they can reward their foot soldiers with treats from the state coffers. The PPP is the only party with the courage to tell the truth about the necessity for this reform for the benefit of all Ghanaians. � That the proposal by the government is not different from the current practice as the government is disingenuously trying to sell to us under the cloak of a CRC recommendation. What is the difference between the nomination of five candidates and the current practice of nominating a candidate with the prior approval of the respective District Assemblies? � That the people�s desire to have DCE�s elected is to ensure that their Chief Executive is directly accountable to them and not the appointing authority at the Flagstaff House. The government�s proposal is a smokescreen to maintain the status quo and continue to avoid accountability. The President would still have the opportunity to extend the strong arm of executive influence on the proposed guidelines/processes. � That it is evident that appointed DCEs have been doing the bidding of the central authority and have not vigorously delivered on the social and economic issues confronting the people in their respective jurisdictional enclaves. � That the involvement of the Public Services Commission (PSC) in this process is absurd and untenable. The role of the PSC under the 1992 Constitution is to assist the President and the governing councils of such public services in the appointment of the heads of those organisations. The position of the MMDCEs does not come under the public services as provided under chapter fourteen of the Constitution. If the involvement of the PSC is relevant in the appointment of political heads, then why don�t we have the PSC shortlist Presidential and Parliamentary Candidates before any general elections? � That the PSC�s involvement will be cumbersome, bureaucratic and counter-productive. � That we believe that there is a pool of talent from which we can have competent, capable, experienced and willing men and women who would seek the mandate of the people at the district level and contribute meaningfully to the development process. Why do we want to limit the people�s choices to five people who will be in the good books of the President? The people should be free to elect whoever they want to govern them at the district level. There should be free, fair and competitive elections at the district level. Indeed the recommendations of the CRC were guided by a number of principles. One of such principles according to Professor Fiadjoe was that the review exercise must aim �to move more power and resources from the centre to the units.� The current proposal maintains the democratic deficit in our local government system and is highly inconsistent with the rhetoric to bring democracy to the door steps of our citizens. The PPP will strongly resist any attempt by the government to once again subvert the sovereign will of the people of Ghana through the introduction of Kwaku Ananse trickery processes of electing MMDCs. We are wide Awake!