The Atta-Mills Institute has blamed the lack of the implementation of the White Paper issued by late Prof. John Evans Atta-Mills on the constitutional review commission he instituted to the current challenges we are confronted with.
Addressing the media today Thursday, July 22, 2021, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute Koku Anyidoho posited that the White Paper contained cogent ideas and reviews that could have given the country a clear path towards national development.
The address was on the theme: “9 YEARS ON: ENTRENCHING THE SOLID LEGACY OF JOHN EVANS ATTA-MILLS”.
He said the White Paper that was issued has become more relevant than before especially when people are calling for a constitutional review.
Outlining some of them, he mentioned how the late Mills in the White paper accepted for the salary and emoluments of the President to be taxed.
He said the late President Atta-Mills foresaw that if nothing was done to the constitution, we would have issues.
He indicated that the late Mills served as vice president and president and so saw the need for a review of the constitution.
”The review of the constitution was visionary thinking of Mills and if it had been carried through, it would have curtailed the powers of the President.
Miles did not care about his powers being curtailed because he loved the country and wanted a better Ghana which was part of his campaign promises.”
He said Page 12 of the White Paper and issue number six posited that the late Mills accepted that the president is taxed on his salary and emoluments as an example to the rest of the citizenry because it would have been a sign that all were equal before the law.
This should have been sent to parliament so that it would have been implemented, he added.
On the controversy surrounding the Prof. Yaa Ntiamoah-Baidu Emoluments Committee, which recommended the salary for the first and second ladies, he said we would not have had to discuss the issue if the White Paper issued by late Mills was implemented.
He disclosed that the White Paper accepted the call for an independent body to determine the emoluments for all civil servants including, the President and all civil servants.
The current approach where we have committees established by sitting Presidents to determine the emoluments of Article 71 officeholders would have been a thing of the past, he added.
He stressed the White Paper is a living document worked on by Ghanaians, and if there is a consensus for us to review the constitution, then we have to let Ghanaians know its content and help implement the contents therein.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
