According to Joseph Osei-Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, the legislature cannot be entirely blamed for the delay in amending the 1992 Constitution as recommended by the Constitution Review Commission.
The Constitution Review Commission was established in January 2010 to consult with Ghanaians on the operation of the 1992 Constitution and any necessary amendments to the Constitution.
The Commission was also tasked with presenting a draft bill for constitutional amendment in the event that any changes were required.
However, the Commission’s recommendations have not been implemented even years after the report was presented to the appropriate authorities.
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Speaking to Citi News on the subject on the sidelines of the National Commission for Civic Education’s constitution week lecture, Mr. Osei-Owusu said there is a lack of consensus on the changes needed to be made.
“The real issues are the disagreements on the fine details of implementation. The Constitution Review Commission went around and brought a report. When the report came, one of the political parties, which was then in power, then made changes to reflect its view.”
“The parties outside disagreed with some of the changes they proposed. That is what has actually delayed the process of implementation, till date,” the legislator recounted.
He cited processes to amend Article 243[1] of the Constitution, which gives the President the power to appoint all MMDCEs, as an example.
At the very last minute, the minority pulled out of all the agreements reached, and I know the reason they pulled out was that the party outside Parliament refused to endorse the proposed amendments,” Mr. Osei-Owusu said.
