Citizenry must support processes to amend 1992 Constitution — Dr Asante
The Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr Kojo Asante, has urged the citizenry to support the processes that will lead to the amendment of the 1992 Constitution.
He explained that the fact that this was the third attempt at initiating or trying to complete the process in 15 years suggests that there was a clear consensus on the need for amendment.
Sharing his perspectives on the work of the Constitution Review Committee in an interview, Dr Asante said, “Ghanaians made that clear from election to election to the extent that constitutional review has been a constant theme of party manifestoes for the last three elections.”
“There are a number of weaknesses that three decades of constitutional practice have revealed and require recalibration; the title of the Constitution Review Committee (CRC) report from an electoral democracy to a developmental democracy provides the framing,” he said.
Dr Asante asked further: “How do we engineer the elusive socio-economic and political transformation after 33 years of constitutional practice.
“Our political practice and culture are getting in the way of development and need to be reimagined,” he said.
Amending constitution
Dr Asante said the main issue with amending the constitution was the entrenched clauses. He said the non-entrenched clauses will go to Parliament and require a two-thirds majority to pass, stressing that “Citizens must participate fully to clearly communicate what they want their elected officials to do on their behalf.”
Dr Asante, however, said the entrenched clauses were more complicated.
“How do you put questions for citizens to go and vote at a referendum requiring a 40 per cent minimum turnout and 75 per cent approval?
“What is being discussed is amending the Amendment provisions in Chapter 25 to allow the process to be brought back to Parliament so we can put all the proposals in the entrenched clauses, such as the separation of Parliament and Executive and others.
In all of these processes, citizens must be at the centre,” he observed
Limiting campaign
Dr Asante justified why there should be a law to regulate campaigning in the country.
“Ghana is late to the party.
Many of our African peers do this.
It’s been done in Senegal, Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire.
“We have this disastrous politics where as soon as you get into office, the campaign starts again for the incumbent and opposition parties,” he stated.
“We are not exceptional in any way and we should have done that a long time ago.
It will help parties and their candidates and, most importantly, reduce the money in politics that is fueling corruption and destabilising the stability of the state,” he said.
