Politics of Friday, 3 June 2005

Source: GNA

President revoke appointments of KEEA assembly members

Elmina, June 3, GNA- The President, on Thursday revoked the appointments of 14 out of the 15 government appointed members of the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem District Assembly.

The term of office of the members should have ended in July next year. However, the appointment of Nana Frank Appiah, the Presiding Member, was not revoked.

Mr Charles Bintim, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), announced at Elmina, when the assembly met to vote to either confirm or reject Mr George Frank Asmah, the President's nominee for the post of District Chief Executive.

As a result, voting could not take place and had to be re-scheduled for next Tuesday, June 7.

Mr Bintim did not give reasons for the decision but he later told newsmen that, "President Kufuor could not continue to work with the dismissed assembly members because they have through their actions, exposed themselves as enemies of progress".

"The President detected that the members were retarding progress, and therefore had no alternative other than using his discretionary powers to revoke their appointments", he said without elaborating. Mr Bintim said the President, would appoint new assembly members by next Tuesday to make the assembly fully re-constituted to enable it continue with its business.

He said his sector Ministry would soon introduce a programme similar to the annual People's Assembly, to provide an opportunity for the public to interact with their district chief executives. He commended the assembly members for cooperating with Nana Ato Arthur, the former district chief executive, who is now the Deputy Central Regional Minister.

Nana Arthur, said poverty was the "commonest enemy" of the people in the region and asked the assembly members to forge a united front to combat it.