Politics

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.

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