Public Agenda (Accra)
13 November 2009
editorial
Accra — One of the main issues the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party raised in its 2008 Manifesto was on the need to review the decentralization process and to strengthen the assemblies. This need was echoed by many of the political parties including the major opposition, the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
In view of this, and to push the decentralisation process forward, an inter-party consultative forum by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development will come off in Akosombo this weekend to seek the views of political parties towards evolving a workable, consensus-oriented programme to accelerate decentralization in Ghana.
It is hoped that by taking part in the debate, a multi-partisan consensus would be reached so that any reforms that will be agreed upon will be carried on irrespective of the political tradition in government.
The Public Agenda congratulates the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for this progressive initiative it is undertaking.
However, one major problem that has bogged down the decentralization process is the issue of definition, and it was therefore heartwarming when the Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, disclosed that the issue of what decentralization is will engage the minds of participants. He notes, for instance that, "while the 1992 constitution made political and administrative decentralization imperative...there is the need to clarify and agree on an interpretation of the concept."
Hon. Kwamena Ahwoi, says the Constitution is silent on the exact interpretation of decentralization. The NDC and the NPP have pursued different directions of decentralization. The NDC, he argued at one of Public Agenda's decentralization platforms, pursued the devolution path from 1993 to 2000 whilst the NPP followed the path of deconcentration from 2001 to 2008.
The back and forth between the NPP and the NDC has been legendary even when critical matters of national significance like education have been involved. Both sides hardly believe in the genuineness of the intentions or actions of the other and so it has not been easy for Ghana to evolve policies with a long-term vision capable of outstaying political regimes.
It is hoped by the Ministry that the platform provided the political parties would enable them to discuss not only the concept of decentralisation, but the state, size and performance of the local government sub-structures; accountability of Chief Executives and appointed members to the people of their jurisdictions; the application of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF); relations between various actors in the assembly system; and equipping assembly members to perform their duties, consultation and representative functions better."
This is good news for Public Agenda and for all of Ghana because if political parties are able to arrive at a consensus on decentralisation, any party which comes into power will be bound to use what they have contributed into the policy which will come out from their deliberations this weekend.
It is high time political parties believed in the genuineness of the intentions or actions of the other. It has not been easy for Ghana to evolve policies with a long term vision capable of outstaying political regimes. If Ghana will become a middle income country, if the citizens of Ghana will want to stay and work in Ghana, and if political parties' success will be Ghana's success then the good policies of a previous administration should be continued by successive ones.
Public Agenda believes that not all policies by a just-ended government are negative. Political parties should work to move Ghana forward; Ghana should not be a loser and political parties' winners.
Indeed, time and only time will tell whether a consensus can be reached on decentralization in Ghana and whether, if reached, such a consensus will be tinkered with only when necessary.
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