As part of measures to promote peace and unity before, during, and after the election, the Justice and Peace Commission in Saint Mary Parish -Asamankese of the Diocese of Koforidua has organized a Townhall meeting for major stakeholders in Election in two Constituencies.
The day sensitization program was organized for Electorates, Parliamentary candidates, Security Personal, Electoral officers, and officials from the National Commission for Civic Education in Upper and Lower West Akyem separately.
The main objective of this initiative is to re-echo the need for active community participation in building robust community interventions that promote development while addressing the misconception, which is gradually gaining grounds, that community development is solely the responsibility of the Member of Parliament.
The community dialogue is expected to ensure better understanding regarding the mandates of Parliament and local authority in the community development agenda to create an integrated and inclusive discourse for specific development agenda at the local areas.
One of the pillars of the principles of the Catholic Social Doctrine/Teaching is the Social Philosophy of Participation and the Doctrine/Teaching emphasizes full participation of the citizenry in governance at all levels of decision-making.
The doctrine emphasizes that the various authorities, be it civil, cultural, religious, or political, in our society have the great responsibility to provide a congenial environment or atmosphere for the members of the population to participate in decisions and structures that affect their lives for the promotion of their development.
The Town Hall meeting was also to stimulate and encourage active and wider consultations on the matter, the public must be engaged, educated, and sensitized on this very important national agenda regarding the role of Parliament in national and community development and highlighting the sovereign powers of the people and unique mandates of local authorities for community development.
Over the years, the Catholic Church has been reckoned as a beacon of Ghana’s socio-economic development agenda and has considerable constituents who could be mobilized for community dialogues in the form of Town Hall Meetings to engender participation in governance with its numerous benefits to community development.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Kofi Atakora
