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The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly, Sandra Owusu Ahinkorah has indicated that a ‘Yes’ vote in the upcoming referendum scheduled for December 17, 2019, will give over 250 positions to any deserving hardworking political party faithful in the country.

At a durbar organized by the MCE for the Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly with the theme “Power To The People”, Sandra Owusu Ahinkorah said that she is in agreement with Togbe Amenya Fiti of Aflao paramountcy when he described President Akufo-Addo as a “man of his words and the one who walks his talks”.

Addressing the gathering at the La Bawaleshie School Park, the Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly MCE mentioned that the purpose for the durbar is to correct some misconceptions being circulated about the upcoming referendum to relinquish the appointing authority of the President to the ordinary Ghanaians as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution.

She reiterated that the referendum which is scheduled to take place on December 17, 2019, is in fulfilment of President Akufo-Addo’s promise to ensure that the position of the MMDCEs is based on elections.

“Today we can all bear witness to the fact that the President is giving away his power of appointing or to put it rightly, rewarding hardworking party faithful with over 250 positions,” she asserted.

“We are here, first of all, to address some misconceptions about the 17th December referendum and also to declare an emphatic YES on December. First of all, I want to clear a misconception about the referendum.  The referendum is not about whether the president should continue to appoint or not as most of you might be thinking or have been made to believe. Off course I agree that most of you cannot stand to see some of our hardworking MMDCES losing out especially in places you consider not our strongholds,” she stressed.

She stated that the country has gone passed the stage of appointing MMDCEs to work, especially in places which are considered as oppositions strongholds; thus, the President has called on Parliament to amend article 243(1) in the Constitution to take away his power to appoint MMDCEs and make it elective.

“With this amendment, every MMDCE would have to go through an election every 4 years . . . the challenge here is that we want political parties to put up candidates to contest these Local Assembly positions including Assembly members. The constitution has a provision in it which should be removed through a referendum to make the political participation possible,” she mentioned.

She maintained that to make it possible for the political parties to participate in the elections, 40% of eligible voters should vote and out of the 40%, 75% should vote YES in the upcoming referendum on December 17 2019.

“One may ask why do we or Ghanaians seek to change that clause. There are many good reasons and I will list some of them”:

1. Cure the incidence of winner takes all

2. To ensure that competent and better  candidates are put forward by parties 

3. Accelerate Development

4. To put the power to appoint and remove from office in the hands of electorates

5. Accountability

6. Increased turnout during voting

7. Smaller parties can also contribute to governance.

Hon. Sandra Owusu Ahinkorah asserted that the phenomenon of winner takes all has deprived several communities and assemblies the much-needed service of very hardworking and competent MMDCES simply because their party lost power.

She, however, indicated that Ghanaians voting “Yes” in the referendum will help deepen democracy by ensuring that competence will never be overlooked in favour of party colours; thus, “Yes vote is for Accountability, Development, Competence and Effectiveness”.