A local governance expert, Raymond Quartei, has attributed the lack of respect accorded to persons occupying district level assembly positions to the voluntary nature of their work in the communities they serve. He said even though the unavailability of infrastructure at the local level to assist in the work of district assembly members is a problem, a decent monthly wage for members can enhance their role in the communities they serve."Assembly members usually don’t earn much respect in the community they serve. Basically, it is because of their voluntary work but if we put them on salary, people will learn to respect them. The name “local” alone puts people off and it ends there,” he noted in an interview with Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.3 FM Monday.He said unlike in the western countries where assembly members are called Counselors and are put on salary, the situation in Ghana is different, hence, the disrespect of the members.“Because the work of an Assembly member is voluntary, everybody can wake up and start campaigning for votes. We don’t even know the merit behind the whole exercise. If we had known, we would have always ensured that good crop of people vie for that position.”
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Pay assembly members and they will be respected - Governance expert
Mr. Quartei said assembly members are not respected because they are not paid
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“That is a fertile ground for corruption. Most of the Assembly members are behind the kiosks that are being destroyed by the Chief Executives of the various Assemblies because they also want to assert their authority also earn something for a living.”District assembly elections across the country has been scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday September 1, 2015.
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