Some twenty newly appointed Municipal and District Chief Executives in the Eastern Region have been charged to desist from practices that would put the Mill’s administration into disrepute. The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo at a swearing-in ceremony charged the twenty out of twenty-one persons appointed by President Mills who have so far been confirmed by the various assemblies, to transact their activities as enshrined in the NDC manifesto. As first trustees of local governance in the decentralization process, Municipal and District chief Executives who were recently confirmed by their respective assemblies, have been asked to be conscious of the enormous responsibility at stake. The Eastern Regional Minister, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo charged the New M/DCEs to carry out financial transactions according to the set rules and guidelines. He said such an attitude will ensure open and transparent governance. Ofosu Ampofo called on them to avoid acts that would lure them into corrupt practices and hence affect their work and that of President Mills. He asked them to identify the numerous chieftaincy and land related issues in their respective districts, and find ways of addressing them. Ofosu Ampofo said the process of decentralization must be extended to the zonal and town levels as originally intended, saying the low participation at the zonal and town levels needs to be addressed in order to realize the full benefit of the Local Government System. He advised them to collaborate and consult Members of Parliament, NGOs, Heads of Department, traditional authorities and opinion leaders among others; to ensure continues development and cooperation in their areas. The twenty Municipal and District Chief Executives all of who are males, were sworn-in to begin work in the region. The only female appointee for Birim Central, Mrs. Ophelia Koomson, failed to secure the support of her assembly, leaving the district as the only one in the region without a chief executive. Story by Benjamin Henaku