Asamankese, Sept 17, GNA – The West-Akyem Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Sintim Aboagye, has described as unfortunate remarks allegedly made by a Member of Parliament that people should not pay community levy for a water project.
He said the MP, being a representative of the people, should have known better and encouraged the people to exercise their civic responsibility.
Mr Sintim Aboagye, who spoke to the GNA, alleged that the MP for Upper West Akyem, Mr Samuel Sallas-Mensah, made the statement during a campaign tour with the NDC presidential aspirant’s running mate, Mr John Dramani Mahama, at Mepom.
He said Mr Sallas-Mensah allegedly told the people that it was the government which had to bear the cost of any project and that it was wrong for the community members to pay five percent contribution to the district assembly towards a water project.
He said if Mr Sallas-Mensah claimed that it was government’s responsibility to absorb the community’s contribution then it was incumbent on him as MP to use the common and HIPC funds given MPs to pay since they were all government money. Mr Aboagye said as a result of those pronouncements, some residents who had already contributed towards the project were now harassing the agents who collected the money from the households for refund. The Ghana government and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) had signed an agreement of Gh 25,000 cedis for a water project for Asuokoo, Sukru-Canaan and Mepom communities. In Line of CWSA requirements, beneficiary communities are made to pay five percent of the total cost of the project that would be lodged in an account for maintenance and minor repairs on the facility.
