Politics of Tuesday, 8 August 2006

Source: GNA

Campaigns for district elections kick off in Brong Ahafo

Wenchi (B/A), Aug. 08, GNA - Aspirants for the district assembly elections in Brong Ahafo, are gearing up in activities towards winning the votes of their communities with promises and exhortations that would help make life better for the electorates.

Madam Rosemary Adade, a 52-year-old businesswoman at Wenchi, aspiring for the seat at Boadan Electoral Area in Wenchi, told Ghana News Agency in an interview that, it was her desire to serve the electorate and organise the people to initiate development programmes that would bring improvement in their living standards. Madam Adade, proprietor of Malisia Restaurant at Wenchi affirmed she would use her knowledge and experience gained during her sojourn in Holland and Germany to lead the people to promote the development of the area.

To buttress her avowed aim to work to make life better for the electorate she said she had facilitated the registration of nine aged persons, five men and four women, for the District's Mutual Health Insurance Scheme to promote their health.

Through her efforts, the access road leading to Boadan, which had been rendered unmotorable by erosion, had been reshaped. She also helped to provide access routes to Nana Saaboa Market at Boadan to enhance the development of the community. Madam Adade gave the assurance that, if elected, she would ensure that the people would keep their surroundings clean to free themselves from communicable diseases.

Four candidates, including Madam Adade are contesting in the electoral area.

Mr Sulemana Owusu, a former Assembly Member for Kenten-Konimase Electoral Area in the Techiman municipality had stressed the need for the electorate in every electoral area to vote for candidates with good leadership qualities to lead them in the development of their areas. A pioneer Assembly Member in the 1989-92 Assembly and a former chairman of Techiman Urban Council Committee, as well as two times chairman of Techiman Revenue Supervisory Committee made the assertion, when he filed his nomination papers to contest for the Kenten-Konimase Electoral Area.

He said as an Assembly Member, he helped to provide two KVIP toilets at Kenten, another at Konimase, a children's playground at Konimase, a plot of land for the construction of a Mosque and sites for sanitation projects in the electoral area.

The aspirant promised to help uplift the level of education in the electoral area through the construction of school projects at New-Anyabrem, Nawaiden Islamic School, Kenten Local Authority Primary School and the Islamic Secondary School at Konimase. Mr Owusu dismissed allegations being pandered around by some aspirants that he would impose a fine of two million cedis on each person of northern extraction, resident in the electoral area, towards the construction of the chief's palace.

"The District level elections are not based on partisan politics but aimed at getting dedicated persons to fight for the development of communities, he said.

In another development, Mr Kofi Nimoh, an accountant at Techiman Urban Council, aspiring to for the seat at Tanoboase Electoral Area had advised the electorate not to taint the elections with partisan politics.

He said partisan politics could divide the rank and file of the populace at the expense of completion of communal labour initiated projects.

Mr Nimoh made the call, when he presented 200 pieces of exercise books and a football, valued at 360,000 cedis to Drobo-Adya community, near Tanoboase in Techiman municipality.

He said education, development of children and unity among the people were his priorities and would work tirelessly to promote meaningful development in the area.

The aspirant urged the people to bury political differences and team-up to help develop the area.

He assured the people that he would continue to liase with the traditional authorities to accelerate development and help raise the standard of education.

Mr Nimoh appealed to the head teacher of the area to distribute the exercise fairly among the brilliant but needy pupils and to use the football to promote sporting activities in the school. Mr Martin Kwabena Dagarti, an opinion leader, who received the items on behalf of the pupils, thanked the aspirant for his gesture and pledged the community's support for him in his house-to-house campaigns.