Community members in the Ashaiman District of the Greater Accra region, are unhappy with the slow pace of development in the area.
At a townhall meeting with parliamentary candidates and their DCEs, residents charged authorities to do more to better the lives of the people.
The town hall meeting, which was put together by the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, had in attendance the MCE for Ashaiman and the NDC MP for the area, Ernest Norgbey, with the NPP parliamentary Candidate being represented.
The meeting, which was under the theme: “Role of Parliament, Local Authorities and Participatory Governance in Community Development” saw both invited guests from the two main political parties touting their achievement in the development of the area.
Issues of bad road networks, poor drainage system and that of vehicular traffic, were some of the concerns raised by community members, who accused both the assembly and the MP for doing little to better their lots due to political power play.
Municipal Chief Executive, Albert Okyere said development in the Ashaiman area has received a major push under the Nana Addo led government, noting that the construction of sewage lines, the provision of over 2,000 household toilets, the construction of an isolation center at the Ashaiman Polyclinic, and the awarding of contracts for the rehabilitation of some major roads, as some of their achievements.
The NDC parliamentary candidate and MP for the area, Ernest Norgbey, downplayed assertions that the NDC was taking undue advantage of its popularity in the area to deny the people the needed development.
Mr Norgbey who has been campaiging on the need for the people to bring back the NDC, said the NDC must be credited for 90% of development in Ashaiman, touching on infrastructure and social intervention programmes in the area.
Organizers of the event, said they hope such meetings will be held periodically, to ensure accountability on the part of their leaders.
Youth Council Chairman of the St Augustine’s Parish and a member of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, Cornelius Ameada, stressed on the need for politicians to be accountable to their community memebrs to ensure that they feel involved in decision making.
The meeting was also used to preach on the need for peace before, during and after the December 2020 general elections.
Both the NPP and NDC assured supporters and community members, their willingness to promote peace in the area.
Ghana| Atinkaonline.com| Philip Azu