Over 161 persons were sworn in yesterday at the inauguration of the Assemblies in Assin South District. They are made up of 12Unit Committee members and 36 Assemblymen which is made up of 25 elected and 11 appointed members.
A Circuit Court judge Her Honor Cecilia Yeboah took them through the Oath of Allegiance, Oath of Secrecy and Oath of Office.
The Central Regional Minister Mrs. Justina Marigold Assan who represented the President said the inauguration marks another milestone towards deepening decentralization.
According to her with the inauguration of the 259 Assemblies, the nation can agree that government is closer to the people than it has ever been in the history of the country.
‘following the constitute membership of the Assembly it is envisage that new ideas and opportunities would merge to deepen deliberative, legislative and executive functions of the Assembly’. She noted.
She called on them to be part of the team that will finally change the status quo and deepen local governance and decentralization to enable the citizens have access to basic public services in their Districts rather than demanding for such services in Accra.
She also called on the Assembly members to build a strong partnership and collaborate with the local structures particularly the Urban, Zonal, Town and Area Councils, Unit Committees and traditional authorities as well as identifiable groups to facilitate the work of the Assemblies.
The Central Regional Minister appealed to them to let the four sector policies guide their decision making processes. They are the National Decentralization Policy and Strategy, the National Urban Policy and Action Plan, Local Economic Development Policy and Action Plan and the National Rural Development Policy.
An attempt to elect a Presiding Member failed as the two candidates Mr. Elvis Bosompim and Mr. Kwesi Korankye who contested failed to garner the two third majority of 26 required to be the Presiding Member.
In the first round Mr. Bosompim polled 24 while Mr. Korankye had 12. In the second round Mr. Bosompim had 25 with Mr. Korankye maintaining 12 polled earlier.
