Town Hall Meeting Held to Educate the Public on the Upcoming Referendum

The Shai-Osudoku District Assembly has held two special Town Hall meetings on the upcoming District Level Elections and Referendum on Tuesday, 19th November and Thursday, 21st November 2019 to educate and interact with the people on the upcoming Referendum slated to happen on the 17th December 2019.

Heads of Department, Traditional authorities, security Agencies, Representatives of political parties, students, traders, youth groups among others partook in the deliberations held at Asutsuare and Dodowa on the theme, “Delivering a “Yes” vote in the upcoming referendum to take local Governance to another level of dispensation”.

Hon. Daniel Akuffo, DCE for Shai-Osudoku said the agenda for this special town hall meeting is to discuss the momentous impending referendum to decide whether or not to introduce multi-partisan local Government system in our beloved country Ghana through the amendment of Article 55(3) of the constitution of Ghana.

Also, He stated that Ghanaians are required to vote for their Assembly Members, Unit Committee Members and also to vote in the National Referendum either ‘Yes’ for political parties to participate in local level elections or ‘No’.

Explaining furthermore, Mr Akuffo said, ‘’If electorates vote yes to the referendum, political parties can participate in all public elections including local government elections that is, the election of Assembly and Unit Committee Members. Candidates in any local level elections can as well use the name of a political party, its motto, slogan or its symbol to canvas for votes and the results announced in the name of the said political party.

Mr Eric Pabi, The District’s Electoral Commissioner also, stated that Act 55(3) of the constitution is an Entrench Clause which is the people of the country have to decide for themselves as to accepting a proposal or not.

He further stated that the question Referendum poses is ‘Do you want political parties to influence decisions at the local level?’ Furthermore, a political party is capable to sponsor a candidate of preference.

Also, it’s also to approve the amendment of article 243(1). The amendment gives a sitting president the mandate to appoint Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives. It will be decided in the upcoming referendum by electorates which will mean that powers to appoint MMDCEs will be taken from the president and given to the people.

Mr Pabi said, ‘No Verification No Vote will work in the Referendum exercise as well.

Nene (Dr.) Tei Djahene Korabo IV, Chief of Manya Jorpanya said, he thinks voting yes will benefit the people of Ghana as well as the Shai state, it will avoid bi-party system and promote multi-party system. So we can start from the grassroots, He said.

The official colour assigned by the Electoral Commission for the referendum was Yellow for “YES”

And Dark brown for “NO”.

“Let’s us all come out in our numbers to vote and approve the Article 55(3) of the amendment law,” says the Information Officer.

Source: ISD(SODA)