The Atta-Mills Institute (AMI) has called for the implementation of the White Paper issued by late President John Evans Atta-Mills especially the one on the taxation of the salary and emoluments of the President of the Republic.
AMI addressing journalists on Thursday July 22, 2021 suggested this recommendation was something the late president cherished and wanted implemented.
Chief Executive Officer for AMI Koku Anyidoho suggested that 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.
He said: ‘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 six posited that the late Mills accepted for the president to be taxed, in 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.
The address forms part of the 2nd anniversary of the institute which was established to preserve the legacy of late Mills, promote civic education, democracy and help shape public policy.
Background
The White Paper was issued on June 2012, prior to a proposed bill which was the outcome of a process of constitutional review with the appointment of a nine member CRC by the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills.
The CRC was set up by a Constitutional Instrument 2010 (C.I.) 64 as a Commission of Inquiry to conduct a consultative review of the Constitution by the late President John Evans Atta Mills.
The Commission’s three prong mandate was to ascertain from the people of Ghana, their views on the operation of the 1992 Constitution and help identify the strengths and weaknesses of the Constitution; articulate the concerns of the people of Ghana as regards the amendments that may be required for a comprehensive review of the 1992 Constitution; and make recommendations to the Government for consideration and provide a draft Bill for possible amendments to the 1992 Constitution.
The nine member Commission was included Prof. Albert K. Fiadjoe, Chair; Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, Kumbun-Naa Yiri II, Naa Alhaji Iddirisu Abu, Mr Akenten Appiah-Menka, and Mrs Sabina Ofori-Boateng.
The rest were the Very Reverend Prof Samuel K. Adjepong, Dr Nicholas Amponsah, Mr Gabriel Pwamang and Mrs Jean Adukwei Mensa.
The activities the CRC took were but not limited to District and Community Level Consultations; Specialized Consultations with Identifiable Groups; Diaspora Consultations in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Libya, Botswana, USA, Netherlands, Canada, Italy and UK.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com
