Dr. Kojo Asante, a Senior Research Fellow at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has urged Ghanaians to actively engage with the ongoing constitutional reform discussions.
He highlighted that the 1992 Constitution currently concentrates excessive power in the presidency, resulting in numerous appointments being heavily influenced by partisan political considerations.
Speaking at the official launch of the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Platform on Constitutional Reform, Dr. Asante stressed the necessity of a strategic approach to amend certain aspects of the Constitution to establish a more effective governance system.
He further lamented that the current system’s partisan nature leads to the frequent dismissal of workers and appointees whenever there is a change in government.
He argued that constitutional amendments are essential to adopt a sound governance framework that will genuinely enhance democracy.
“The President wields substantial power, appointing almost everyone. This facilitates partisan or political considerations for appointments, which is detrimental to our democracy. With every change in government, appointees or workers are often replaced, exacerbating unemployment. Ghanaians frequently observe that despite regular four-year election cycles and changes in government, tangible change remains elusive. Amending the Constitution to foster a better governance system would be highly beneficial.”
Dr. Asante noted that this marks the third attempt to initiate a constitutional review since 2010.
He emphasised that for this current process to succeed and yield the desired results, Ghanaians, particularly young people, must take a vested interest.
“This is our third attempt since 2010 to amend the Constitution. In past instances, we left the work solely to the committees. This time, we must take a keen interest in the process. If we desire constitutional amendments, we must demonstrate interest and take ownership of the process.”
In his contribution, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a private legal practitioner and Convenor for Democracy Hub, called upon Civil Society Organizations to help disseminate the message of constitutional reforms in a way that is easily understandable to the ordinary Ghanaian.
He concluded that it is time for Ghanaians to fully embrace the concept of constitutional review and understand its paramount importance to Ghana’s democracy since the inception of the Fourth Republic.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
