Regional News of Monday, 5 January 2004

Source: GNA

Don't politicise creation of districts and constituencies, Baah

Fielmua (U/W), Jan. 5, GNA - Mr. Moses Dani Baah, the deputy Minister of Health, has stated that the creation of new districts and constituencies is a workable strategy taken by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to link up the government and the governed.

He said some district and constituencies are so large that politicians could not reach out to all the people even within four years and so the creation of more of these would make it easier for them to visit and become acquainted their constituents.

Mr. Dani Baah, who stated these at Fielmua during the annual celebration of "Kukur Baghr" festival of the chiefs and people of Fielmua in the Sissala District, called on political opponents who think otherwise of the new creations not to politicise and pollute the minds of their electorate.

"All aspects of the creations are geared towards the rapid development of areas that hitherto could have been lagging behind for years although we need to spend more money".

He said most of the rural communities have been without basic social amenities for long and so making them constituencies and district could qualify them to enjoy those amenities.

Mr. Dani Baah expressed satisfaction that, for the first time in over the years, Kanton Secondary School at Tumu had over 30 students qualifying to pursue tertiary courses in the country.

He appealed to the people in the area to reciprocate government's efforts at building schools and other projects by sending their children to school.

"We shall remain and continue to wallow in abject poverty for a long time if we do not take opportunity of the numerous development projects the government is undertaking," he concluded.

Mr. Sahanun Mogtari, Upper West Regional Minister commended the people of Fielmua and Fielmua Area Development Association (FADA) for undertaking development projects.

"That is a positive step in the right direction for anything that is being done by any group towards the development of any part of the region land Ghana as a whole," he said.

He warned against smuggling of goods as that could impede the revenue generation activities of the assembly.

Mr. Joseph Tanye, vice chairman of FADA, called for the creation of a West African Examination Center at Fielmua to save the JSS students from traveling to Tumu annually to write examinations.