Let’s not amend Constitution but rewrite it …Antwi-Danso suggests
The Dean of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Professor Vladimir Antwi-Danso, has suggested that the 1992 Constitution should not be amended but rewritten in order to repair the defects that currently plague the democratic dispensation of the country.
“Let us out rightly rewrite the entire Constitution instead of amending it so as to repair the defects that has currently plagues our democratic dispensation by setting up a committee,” he stressed.
Reacting to contrary views expressed over his call at a seminar organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA),Prof. Antwi-Danso explained that in the current situation he expressed excitement over the hung Parliament however, was not serving the purpose because issues had been reduced to partisanship.
It was on the theme: ‘Reviewing Ghana’s 1992 Constitution Towards Constitutionalism – Reflections and Refractions.’
“The ‘patchworks’ being advocated may lead to future chaos but I believe that if we have a new Constitution, politicians will jump to it to serve a better purpose which will be the best for a true representation of the people in Parliament, but I fear that implementing it may be fraught with challenges,” he cautioned..
Professor Antwi-Danso insisted that a new constitution written by a committee established would repair any defects that currently plagued the country’s democratic dispensation.
But in a sharp rebuttal, Sam Okudzeto, a Member of the Council of State said it would be better to correct the defects in a leaking roof than collapse an entire building to rebuild and the call for the current Constitution to be disposed of would not court public support rather an amendment of portions considered inefficient and ineffective would be acceptable by the citizenry.
In his reaction, Prof. Aaron Oquaye, a former Speaker of Parliament, indicated that the current Constitution had vital aspects that had upheld the country’s Republican democracy over 30 years.
Dr Bossman Asare, the Deputy Commissioner of the Electoral Commission, contended that proportional representation would give a true representation because the practice of majoritarian representation had not served the people well as it turned out to leave some sensitive groups out.
