The Progressive People’s Party (PPP), has declared every December 7, as the party’s Constitutional Reforms Day, to advocate the amendment of some parts of the 1992 Constitution.
According to the party, “it is planned to enrol national programmes for an in-depth discussion on the day, to promote the constitutional amendment and reforms on behalf of Ghanaians.
The Executive Director of PPP, Richard Nii Amarh, who made this known at a press conference in Accra yesterday, stated that the #FixTheConstitutionDay, was expected to address some challenges bordering the state, which leadership continued to remain adamant to.
He explained that the party was advocating the strict separation of powers between Parliament and the Executive, the separation of the Attorney-General from the Office of the Minister of Justice, public declaration of assets by stakeholders, allowing Ghanaians with dual citizenship to be eligible to participate in democratic processes among others.
Mr Amarh noted that the PPP, in collaboration with civil society organisations, and other democratic institutions, intend to see the 1992 Constitution amended, by using all forms of legal procedures.
“The massive amount of money invested in the Constitutional Review Commission must not be allowed to go waste because it remains a scar on the conscience of right-thinking Ghanaians, if these fundamental changes and many other brilliant recommendations contained in the report continue to gather dust.
“We owe it to ourselves and the next generation to secure and safeguard our democracy and that can only be achieved through the amendment since the party is also strongly advocating the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives because, the concept of government appointees to occupy such positions should completely be abolished.
“Apart from ministerial appointments, some Members of Parliament are appointed as Chair and Members of the Board of Directors of state-owned enterprises, corporations and other institutions, thereby, compromising the supervisory role of Parliament.
“These unholy appointments blurs the lines of checks and balances, it is our position that if a Member of Parliament is appointed as a minister or accept any other appointment by the president, then he/she must resign his seat before taking up the appointment,” he said.
BY BERNARD BENGHAN
