We need more influential Council of State members

The Council of State has a very significant role to play in the governance of the country, as it is enjoined by the 1992 Constitution (Chapter 9, Article 89) to "counsel the President in the performance of his functions".

Its advisory role is akin to what pertains in many families where there are elders to be consulted, especially when very difficult decisions have to be taken or when there is a crisis that requires wisdom to have it resolved.

Specifically, the council is to “consider and advise the President or any other authority in respect of any appointment which is required by the Constitution or any other law to be made in accordance with the advice of, or in consultation with the council”.

Also, upon request or on its own initiative, the council is to “consider and make recommendations on any matter being considered or dealt with by the President, a Minister of State, or any other authority established by the Constitution”.

Over the years, the council has mostly worked silently in the background, fulfilling its mandate as enshrined in the Constitution, and people who are chosen to serve on it are usually elderly people of various competencies who wield respect in society.

The Daily Graphic believes that the council’s important role cannot be discounted, having saved many sticky situations with respect to some decisions, most of which we may not know, since its role is purely advisory.

However, information that made the rounds that some members of the council had been compromised in the run-up to the 2016 elections, as a result of some advice they were deemed to have taken which did not sit well with some people, did not augur well for the respected Council of State.

As the elders of the land, members of the Council of State should live above reproach to earn the respect of all. They should not be people embroiled in any controversies or accused of engaging in any form of corruption.

They should be people of strong moral character, so that they will be seen as worthy people to advise the President if he goes overboard or needs counsel at any point as he discharges his duties.

We believe that a Council of State must be a true reflection of the entire country and its people in that it must not be partisan in nature or resigned to politics.

That is why the Constitution does not allow only the President to select people to the council but each of the regions also chooses one person to represent it.

The Daily Graphic congratulates all the men and women who have been appointed to serve on the Council of State. We urge them to put the country first in the discharge of their duties, so that the President receives the full complement of their vast experiences.

While we believe that the council has impacted on decisions taken by Presidents over the years, we urge that the new members make their impact felt more by coming up timeously with sound wisdom and advice whenever it is evident that a decision taken by the President on any matter of state is deemed inappropriate.

The members of the council are the mouthpieces of the over 25 million Ghanaians and we pray that they do not fail in effectively supporting the President to run the country.

The Daily Graphic also urges the electoral colleges that will elect regional representatives today to discharge their duties with only one objective — to promote the interest of Ghana.