Breman Fosuansa (C/R), Nov. 26, GNA - The Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Neenyi Francis Kofi Tagoe has advocated a law to make serving in Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), a prerequisite f= or election to parliament. Neenyi Tagoe said such a law had become necessary because of the way=

some technocrats, whose services were needed in advancing the MMDAs were not interested in the district level elections.

He said the technocrats regarded the district level election as inferior and their unwillingness to offer themselves for election to the MMDAs had been the bane to the development of the communities. Speaking at a public education forum on the impending district level=

election, at Breman Fosuansa, in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District, Neen= yi Tagoe said it was time these technocrats were compelled to offer knowledg= e and expertise towards the development of their localities. Neenyi Tagoe was of the view that such a law would build some respec= t for the district level election among the electorate. "We need people who can articulate the needs and problems facing the= ir people in the assemblies and not people who go there just for the title "honourable" to be conferred on them. He said government regarded the MMDAs as the base of the decentralization programme as well as the axis on which development of th= e communities revolved.

"Government had been channelling huge sums of money through them for=

the development of the communities". He said because some of the MMDAs lack the requisite personnel, management of the funds to create development usually became a problem. Neenyi Tagoe urged aspiring assembly members to bear in mind that th= e concept was non-partisan and cautioned against hiding behind political parties to champion their agenda. The District Directorate of NCCE had so far held about 30 of such forums in the District to sensitize the electorate. 26 Nov. 10