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Pay MMDCEs now as massive corruption hits Assemblies due to non payment of salaries for Members-COPAM

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A Group Calling Itself, Coalition of Progressive Assembly Members (COPAM) has alleged that non payment of salaries to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives nationwide is promoting corruption.

The Group in a released issued and signed by the Assemblyman for Sakumono Electoral Area of The Tema West Municipal Assembly, also the Convener of The Group, Dr. Richard Fiadomor stated that, “virtually all the current Metropolitan, Municipal & District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) appointed by the current government who have been subsequently endorsed by the various Assemblies and Assembly Members across the country have not been paid any salaries since the coming into office of this government over the past 16 months now”.

According to him, the situation has led to most of these MMDCEs adopting what he called an ‘innovative means possible to survive by the day’ and to also meet their financial obligations towards their immediate families and other dependents.

The Coalition of Progressive Assembly Members-Ghana (COPAM-GH) described this situation “completely unfortunate taking cognizance of the amount of resources these officers handle at the local assemblies meant for various developmental projects and how the current situation is compelling some of them to simply adopt “ways and means” of getting along on a day to day basis”.

He said, they are disappointed in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for turning a blind eye to this phenomenon and allowing the situation of non-payment of MMDCEs to fester up to this time.

“Our checks across the country indicate most of the MMDCEs have resorted to either adopting underhand dealings or simply delaying projects and programmes whose budgetary allocations have already been approved or redirecting same into other investments portfolios in order to survive on the accruing interests generated from same.

Most MMDCEs as we speak are compelled by the situation to openly indulge in one corrupt practice or the other ranging from the awarding of contracts to their families, close friends and cronies who they can count on and trust to guarantee them their ‘share’ sometimes thereby completely reducing either the quality of work to be done or the scope of same thereof”.

COPAM therefore called on the government to immediately and as a matter of urgency “take all the necessary steps to pay MMDCEs in order to put to rest this flagrant disregard for procurement at the local assemblies across the country if it is really committed to the fight against corruption in this country especially at the level of our local governance”.

Story by Edzorna Francis Mensah

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