The Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has stated that certain provisions were put in the 1992 Constitution to ensure stability in the country’s politics.
Some of the provisions, he said, included the creation of the District Assemblies Common Fund, barring of chiefs from engaging in active party politics because they were a rallying point for all and the Electoral Commission (EC).
“In drafting the Constitution, we were consciously looking for ways to produce a Constitution that would last. So we took all the previous constitutions from the Independence Constitution to the Limann Constitution in 1979, looking for ways of putting in articles and clauses that would stabilise this country.
“I'm happy that so far we have achieved that. But when we mention some of the provisions, you will not know that they were put in there to provide stability in our politics. One of them is the creation of the District Assemblies Common Fund,” he said.
NDC anniversary
Mr Asiedu-Nketiah was speaking at a solemn event to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the NDC at the party’s headquarters in Accra yesterday.
The event, which was attended by party gurus and supporters, involved the cutting of an anniversary cake, wreath laying and the hoisting of Ghana, NDC and cadres flags.
He said the chieftaincy institution was recognised as a very powerful institution since chiefs were a rallying point for everybody.
“We said that, let us move a motion to prevent, to bar chiefs from active participation in politics. Luckily, when it started, it was taken as a joke.
“But eventually, we got it passed, even though there was a significant number of paramount chiefs from all across the country who were present. We managed to convince them that if you are a chief, and you involve yourself in politics, not everybody in your paramountcy will belong to your political party. So others will also join another party,” he said.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah explained that the barring of chiefs from active participation in politics was not intended to take away their democratic right, pointing out that“we thought that if they remained neutral, and when there is controversy among the political actors, then you have a stabilising force that can calm the politicians who are misbehaving.
So that is the reason we did what we did, and that has also contributed in stabilising our democracy.”
“So my appeal is that the constitutional review committee that is currently doing their work, it may be very useful for them to engage the surviving members of the consultative assembly so they can understand the rationale behind some of the provisions that we put in there. One important provision had to do with the creation of the Electoral Commission,” he said.
Historical background
Mr Asiedu Nketiah who gave a historical background of the forming of the party, said the party was formed with the intention of making it a third force but had become the first force with the other parties lagging behind.
“It was intended to be the third force because in this country we have known the CPP tradition and the UP tradition, and so NDC came in as a third force.
Fortunately or unfortunately, it has now become the first force, and the others are lagging behind,” he emphasised.
Much of the history, he said was also documented in the party’s book, The Administrative History of NDC.
Again, he said there was a compilation of NDC constitutions from 1992 to date as well as the manifestoes of the party.
“The one that we are working on now has to do with NDC in the news.
We've compiled all the important news items in the Daily Graphic and in Ghanaian Times about NDC from 1992 to date.
Very soon, that one will also be launched so that we can have a proper documentation of our history,” he said.
