News:
December 13, 2014
Member of Parliament (MP) for Ekumfi Constituency in the Central region, Mr. Abeiku Crentsil, last Tuesday came face-to-face with his constituents to render accounts of his stewardship since voted into office in 2012.
He was tasked to outline his achievements since assumption of office and also bombarded with questions by constituents on why he had not been able to fulfill promises he made to his constituents.
This was when the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) with support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) organised a public forum at Essarkyir for residents in the constituency.
The event afforded the constituents the opportunity to dialogue and find answers to questions bothering on development in the area from their MP.
The MP was reminded of the promises he made within a year and asked to state how many of them he had been able to deliver and why he had not been able to fulfill others.
Speaking at the function, the MP affirmed that that he had delivered on all the promises he made.
Touching on health, he hinted that the constituency would benefit from the 15 polyclinics President John Dramani Mahama promised to build in the country, adding that it will be completed by the end of 2015 with attached accommodation.
He disclosed that he has presented two ambulances to facilitate smooth healthcare delivery in the area.
Mr. Crentsil added that €3.45 million has been allocated for Essarkyir water expansion to produce 3.6 million gallons of water a day to address the perennial water problem in the area.
He further added that he had also distributed 200 outboard motors to fishermen at subsidised prices while the deplorable roads in the area were awaiting approval for construction works to begin.
“The roads in the area have been captured and funds made available; so possibly by 2015, construction will begin,” he assured the people.
District Chief Executive (DCE) of the area, Mr. Ibrahim Kweku Dawson, commended the MP for his hard work for the past two years, saying most of the achievements of the district were through the lobbying of the MP.
For his part Director in charge of Parliamentary Strengthening at CDD-Ghana, Regina Oforiwa Amanfo, explained that the MP’s Accountability and Responsive forum was introduced in November 2012 prior to the elections to promote projective and constructive criticism and praise where necessary for the MPs to know their performance.
She stated that prior to the upcoming 2016 elections, the programme was revisited in August this year, and the 20 MPs who made it to Parliament out of the 30 constituencies they visited in 2012 were made to understand that they were being documented to be called to account for their stewardship.
She revealed that so far her outfit has been able to visit 14 constituencies out of the 20 and the rest will follow next year.
Madam Amanfo said the forum was to help the constituents demand accountability from their MPs and advised them to vote on issues since that will help them make informed choices in the next elections.
The residents were given the opportunity to ask questions and while a few praised the MP for working hard, others chastised him for totally depriving their communities of the national cake.
Today