By Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Abbey-Quaye
If these words of the President are anything to go by, then we must be hopeful as citizens that something is going to be done about this exercise. Nonetheless, Government must begin to walk the talk and Ghanaians must begin to see concrete steps and efforts being taken with the aim of continuing the uncompleted Constitution review process started over seven years ago. The focus should not only be on the creation of new regions and the election of district heads but a comprehensive review and implementation of the proposals made by the Review Commission in the final document it handed over to the previous government.
Our country Ghana urgently needs a revised Constitution that will capture how far we have come as a nation in our democratic governance and spell out the roadmap regarding what we want to achieve in the years ahead. The title of the proposed revised Constitution, namely, Report of the Constitution Review Commission: From A Political to A Developmental Constitution, amply captures the direction we want to go.
Our nation cannot afford to sacrifice the important work done by both the Constitution Review Commission and the Implementation Committee just as she cannot sacrifice the overwhelming support of Ghanaians for the review exercise on the altar of political inertia. Ghana’s march towards a new political and socio-economic paradigm must be anchored on a solid foundation of which a “new” or revised Constitution is a choiceless choice.
After twenty-five years of democracy, the time is more than ripe for our nation to move on from the business-as-usual-politics to a politics that honour good governance and seeks economic transformation for all citizens, and a new Constitution is an absolute necessity. The sitting Government must resume work on the Constitution review process immediately.
Working closely with Parliament and all other relevant stakeholders including religious bodies and traditional authorities, it must accelerate the process to bring the review exercise to a fitting closure. All Ghanaians must also contribute their quota to ensure that the process for the new Constitution becomes a reality in the days ahead. The words of Prof. Fiadjoe that the document his Commission produced is ours, the fruit of our labour and that we should not allow any Government to deprive us of it, should inspire and motivate us in this regard.
Historic Meeting of Presidents, Present and Past: A Boost to Ghana’s Image and Democracy.
The historic meeting of the current President of Ghana, H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, and all three former Presidents of the Republic at the Flagstaff House, on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, will go down the annals of our history as one of the most beautiful things that ever happened to Ghana’s politics and democratic practice.
This meeting which comes in the year of our nation’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations could not have come at a better time than this. Even though we do not as yet know the fine details of what transpired between our past and present leaders, the very fact that this meeting took place is itself a blessing to Ghana and a big fillip to the country’s political health.
The assurance contained in the Communiqué issued at the end of the meeting that the discussions were frank, open and honest, is very inspiring just as the announcement that this exercise will not be a nine-day wonder is encouraging. Without a doubt, this historic meeting of our Presidents has boosted Ghana’s international image significantly and has put Ghana’s politics high on the international stage.
It is sad but true that due to excessive partisanship, we often fail to celebrate our successes and to acknowledge that we are a beacon of hope for democratic practice in Africa and beyond, and an inspiration to countries that are struggling to work at and consolidate their democratic practice and rule. This meeting of Presidents must encourage all of us that we are doing something right democratically. It must serve as a constant reminder to all of us Ghanaians that in spite of our political, tribal, ethnic and religious differences, we are one people with a common destiny and that we are more than capable of transcending our differences to think and work together to move our nation forward in the right direction.
