He said
the
current
system
of
nominating
DCEs
only
needed
some few
amendments
to make
the
system
function
more
efficiently.
Mr
Ansah-Antwi
noted
that the
election
of DCEs
as
proposed
by the
presidential
candidates
of the
NPP, CPP,
NDC and
PNC at
the just
ended
Institute
of
Economic
Affairs
(IEA)
debate
in
Tamale,
would
spell
doom for
an
already
polarized
country.
The DFP
presidential
candidate
expressed
these
sentiments
when he
paid a
courtesy
call on
the
Regent
of
Dagbon,
Kampakuya
Naa
Abdulai
Yakubu
at his
palace
in Yendi
on
Sunday.
Mr
Asante-Antwi
said
under a
DFP
government,
chiefs
would be
given a
place in
the
district
assemblies
to serve
as
checks
and
balances
on DECs
to make
them
more
accountable
to the
people
at the
grassroots
level.
He noted
that the
district
assemblies
were
non-partisan
and
explained
that it
was for
this
reason
that the
constitution
made
provisions
for the
appointment
of DCEs.
He
therefore
warned
that any
attempt
to make
DCEs
stand on
party
tickets
would
create a
greater
problem
of
reconciling
the
people
of the
country.
Mr
Asante-Antwi
said he
would
place
the
Department
of
Births
and
Deaths
under
chiefs
and give
them the
mandate
to
register
all
births
in the
country.
He also
indicated
that
sanitation,
as well
as
arbitration
of minor
crimes
would be
under
the care
of
chiefs
at the
various
districts
to help
expedite
such
cases
and
allow
the
courts
to
handle
major
crimes
including
drugs
trafficking.
Mr
Asante-Antwi
said a
DFP
government
would
create a
“green
revolution”
in the
country
by
giving
agriculture
the
topmost
priority
on its
development
agenda
since
about 60
per cent
of the
people
were in
the
agricultural
sector.
Additionally,
he said,
subsidies
would be
provided
to
farmers
to
motivate
them to
cultivate
more
food to
feed the
nation
and make
farming
more
attractive.
He said
such an
initiative
would
also
encourage
the
youth to
take
farming
as a
profession
to earn
a decent
living.
Dr. Obed
Yao
Asamoah,
the life
patron
of the
party,
later
addressing
a rally,
said the
north
had
witnessed
a lot of
conflicts
and the
time had
come for
the
people
to shun
violence
and
embrace
peace to
create a
congenial
atmosphere
for the
development
of the
area.
Dr
Asamoah
noted
that the
youth
had been
in the
forefront
of
provoking
violence
and
called
on them
to
change
their
attitude
to
politics
and
promote
peace
and
unity.
He said:
“The
change
must not
only
come
from
politicians
but also
from the
youth
and when
that is
done,
“politicians
will
find it
difficult
to use
the
youth to
cause
mayhem
in the
country”.
He said
the DFP
would
not pay
attention
to only
the
cocoa
sector
as had
been
done by
past and
current
governments
but
would
create
markets
for
other
produce
to help
boost
the
country’s
economy.
Mr
Danladi
Suleman,
the DPF
Parliamentary
Candidate
for
Yendi,
said the
north
had been
marginalized
by the
colonial
masters
and both
past and
current
governments,
and
therefore
called
on the
people
to take
advantage
of the
“new
wind of
change”
and vote
the DFP
to power
in the
December
polls.
GNA
