We need political will to decongest cities •2 Leading politicians declare

Two leading members of the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have called for the political will and non-partisan approach to decongesting the central business district of Accra.
They suggested that a similar approach was required to demolish buildings on watercourses which caused floods in the nation’s capital.
The two, Mr Yaw Boateng-Gyan, the Deputy National Organiser of the NDC, and Mr Peter Mac Manu, the National Chairman of the NPP, were speaking in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic about the recent floods in Accra that claimed seven lives and destroyed property in the national capital.
They underscored the need for all political parties to lend support to the party in government in its efforts to deal with national issues.
They were of the opinion that national problems such as health, sanitation and floods had the propensity to wreck havoc on Ghanaians, irrespective of their political affiliation and at the same time drain the national coffers.
Mr Boateng-Gyan, who is also a Presidential Staffer, noted that the Mills Administration was ready to take the bull by the horn and take bold decisions that would in the long run secure the safety and health of the entire nation as well as protect the environment for posterity.
He noted most of the problems of the country had occurred under various governments and caused the nation huge sums of money that could have been used for developing other areas of the society. He therefore called on leadership of all political parties to lend a hand in dealing with these issues.
“If the NDC is able to deal with these issues, a future NPP or CPP Administration would not spend time and fortune to deal with the same problems again. Governments are elected to solve problems and I assure Ghanaians that the NDC government will do exactly that”, he added.
Mr Boateng-Gyan noted that it was high time the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, especially the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) educated the people who had flouted the rules and regulations on building on watercourses and unauthorised places.
He said after the education and establishment of markets for the hawkers, such as what took place during the Kufuor Administration, all buildings on watercourses must be demolished and the hawkers cleared from the street. Bye-laws on people who dispose of rubbish indiscriminately should also be enforced.
He added that these were decisions that usually made governments unpopular in the eyes of such recalcitrant citizens who in turn threatened not to vote for the government in power, but added that if the hawkers were cleared and unauthorised structures on watercourses demolished, the good works of the government would attract more votes.
For his part, the NPP National Chairman noted that it was about time certain issues, especially health, environment and safety of the citizenry were dealt with dispassionately and in a non-partisan manner so that decisions taken would impact positively on the entire nation.
He described as worrying, the increasing trend of flooding during rainy seasons as a result of the parochial interest of some few citizens who were bent on building on watercourses, a situation he said was gaining roots in almost all the major cities in the country.
He said the repercussions of the inability of various governments to take bold decisions on certain issues of national importance over the years had been disastrous for the entire country and that such acts must cease.
Mr Mac Manu described as unacceptable, the unpatriotic behaviour of certain Ghanaians who flout the rules and regulations with impunity even when staff of state institutions had called their attention to their bad deeds.