Nat’l Tymes News Desk
THE NEWLY elected Presiding Member (PM) of the Ayawaso Central Municipal Assembly (ACMA), Hon. Alexander K. Mensah-Twumasi, has pledged to provide fair, accountable and people-centred leadership as he assumes responsibility for steering the Assembly’s deliberations.
Speaking after his election, Hon. Mensah-Twumasi said he viewed his election not as a position of power, but as a call to serve the Assembly and the people of Ayawaso Central. According to him, the gavel entrusted to him represented order, fairness and a collective commitment to improving the lives of residents.
“I accept this responsibility with deep humility. You have not elected a Presiding Member today. You have elected a servant of this Assembly,” he said.
He assured Assembly Members that regardless of how they voted during the election, he would serve all members fairly and protect their right to speak, demand accountability and participate meaningfully in the Assembly’s work.
Hon. Mensah-Twumasi called on his colleagues to make the Assembly a place where ideas and policies are debated without personal attacks and insults. He urged members to disagree constructively and keep the interests of residents at the centre of their deliberations.
He noted that residents cared less about who won an argument at the Assembly and more about whether their concerns, including poor drainage, inadequate streetlights and water challenges, were being addressed.
“The market woman at Mallam Atta, Circle, Alajo and other communities does not care who won the argument at the Assembly. She cares whether we fixed the drainage, streetlights and water challenges,” he said. He therefore appealed to Assembly Members to put aside personal and political differences and work together to deliver development.
The new Presiding Member also called for a stronger working relationship between the Assembly and the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE). He said the Assembly and the Municipal Executive were partners in development and should not operate as rivals.
He explained that while the MCE exercised executive authority under the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), the Assembly also had important deliberative and monitoring responsibilities.
According to him, disagreements were normal in every democratic institution, but such differences must be handled in good faith and with the interest of the municipality in mind. “The days of ‘Executive versus Assembly’ must end with us,” he declared.
He promised to keep his office open to the MCE and management while expecting the same openness towards Assembly Members.
Source: Nationaltymes.com
