Tema-Ghana, Dec. 09, – Mr. Ransome Sumailah, an aspiring assembly member for the Padmore Electoral Area in the Tema Metropolis, has urged the electorate in his area to massively participate in the upcoming December 19 District Level Elections.
Mr. Sumailah indicated that even though district-level elections were apolitical, they were very important as they formed the basis of democracy and the heart of development in the communities.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview, he reminded the electorates to exercise their voting power if they want their areas to develop, as they needed someone who would push and lobby for such amenities from the assembly and other quarters.
He is among five people, including the former assemblyman and incumbent assemblyman, contesting to represent Padmore at the Assembly.
The densely populated electoral area covers communities 1, 12, 21, 14, 15, 16 and zero.
He said the electoral area needed massive change as there was deterioration in existing facilities, such as public toilets, especially on Community One Site One.
According to him, he was in the race to help his community, indicating that over the years he has observed with concern the depreciation in the quality of life of the people in terms of infrastructure, sanitation, security, education, health, and human resources.
He said that as part of his vision, he would make use of the elderly in the community to bring about some behavioural change, saying that currently the opinion leaders in the area have been relegated to the background, with some of the youth going wayward.
Mr. Sumailah noted that some disunity was also existing within the area as residents have divided the area into two and refuse to come together as one to embark on sanitation and developmental projects.
He said he would ensure that such a gap between ‘the zongo community and the other part of the electoral area’ would be bridged for the good of the area.
The aspiring assemblyman said it was his vision to provide free extra classes for JHS pupils to prepare them for passing their exams and getting well-endowed SHS to prepare them to become useful human resources to the community and the country as a whole.
He further said he has realised that most of the SHS students in the community loiter around during vacation and therefore have plans to put the various entrepreneurs in the area together to provide free vacation skill training for them to prepare them for the job market with the needed experience.
On the entertainment sector, Mr. Sumailah, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Young Kotoko Football Club and a graphic designer, said he has already held a community football tournament three consecutive times aimed at harnessing the talents of youth in the area, an initiative he said he would up-scale when voted as the assemblyman.
Touching on the health needs of the community, especially the elderly, he noted that he would collaborate with the Ghana Health Service to get a Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound in the area to attend to their needs instead of the periodic health screening.
He said together with the community would invest in ‘borla taxis’ operations to ensure a clean environment while making some money from it to support community activities and watchdog committees to be set up to ensure the security of the area.
