“I Won’t Sign Your Common Fund”

From Issah Alhassan, Foase, Atwima Kwanwoma.

IT WAS a free for all verbal exchanges at the Atwima Kwanwoma District Assembly Hall on Monday, when the Member of Parliament for the area, Hon. Dr. Kwadwo Appiah Kubi, clashed with the DCE, Hon. Tony Nyame, over matters relating to the use of a district motor grader.

The assembly meeting was nearly marred by verbal altercations between the MP and the DCE, after the MP had sought to find out how the district was managing the machine used for grading feeder roads in communities within the district.

In the ensuing verbal battle, the DCE, Tony Nyame, categorically told the MP to shut up because the assembly was not a Parliament House; “You can’t dictate to me how we should run affairs here, this is not Parliament House, let me tell you,” the angry DCE said.

Still not satisfied, the controversial Tony Nyame threatened the MP that he will not sign for the release of his share of the Common Fund.

The MP was said to have raised objection in connection with the alleged indiscriminate fees being charged some communities for the use of the equipment.

The incident, which occurred in the full glare of media personnel who covered the sitting at Foase on Monday, started when the Assembly member for Kromoase and chairman of the Transport Committee, Hon. Kofi Karikari raised the issue of the use of the motor grader which had broken down and needed repairs.

According to information gathered by The Chronicle, the assembly agreed to charge every community GH¢100.00 for the grader to be used for maintenance, in case of break down.

However, during the course of the meeting, it was disclosed that the DCE and the District Engineer were allegedly collecting GH¢100.00 from every household in the Ampeyoo community, contrary to the assembly’s approved fees.

The revelation apparently irked the MP who was also said to have contributed GH¢1,000.00 towards the repair of the broken bulldozer.

He, therefore, demanded explanation from the DCE and the District Engineer, but the DCE got infuriated, resulting in the verbal exchanges between the two. For close to 30 minutes, the exchanges raged on, compelling members to suspend sitting for a while.

Meanwhile, the DCE has confirmed issuing the threats against the MP, but insists it was in reaction to a statement made by the MP against him. According to Mr. Nyame, the MP told him categorically during the verbal exchange that he (the MP) would never come to him for anything in the assembly, and this compelled him to also react in similar manner.

Hon. Nyame told The Chronicle in a telephone interview: “Since he told me point blank that he will never come to me for anything, I also said we will see how he would receive his Common Fund.”

The DCE, who admitted the bust up, further said he did not like the attitude of the MP and so “I told him he cannot tell me how to run my assembly,”

The controversial DCE asserted that some members in the assembly were trying to play politics rather than seeking the welfare of the people, “and this is what I am fighting against,”

 

Hon. Nyame, therefore, warned that he will not sit down and allow any individual or group of people to hold the assembly to ransom, since he will be the eventual person to blame, should anything go wrong.

On the matter of the use of the grader, the DCE insisted he did nothing wrong in its use, denying that he has imposed any extra charge.

 

Short URL: http://thechronicle.com.gh/?p=52101