The Savannah Regional National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) secretariat has held engagement with the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Immigration Service to mark the Year 2022 Annual Constitution Week.
The engagement was held on the theme "Three Decades of Uninterrupted Constitutional Rule: Revisiting the Agenda for Reforms", at the forecourt of the Ghana police service on 11th May, 2022, Damongo.
The objective of the program among others include; 1. Enlightening participants on how the 1992 Constitution has fared over the years and if there is truly a justification for it's amendment, 2.Creating a platform for the citizens to ventilate their views on the way to sustain and consolidate the country's democratic successes even in the face of a possible amendment of the 1992 Constitution.
The Deputy Regional Police Commander DCOP Eben Larby, in his welcome address took participants through Ghana's independence and constitutional and military rule in Ghana and the advocacy for reforms on the 1992 Constitution. He appealed to officers to listen and make contributions for a successful program.
Mr. Issaka Zitor, the NCCE Ag. Regional Director for Savannah Region, took participants through the principles and objective of the 1992 Constitution, the transition to the Fourth Republic constitution and call by civil society groups, political parties, academics for constitutional reforms
He explained, that in the year 1991, the PNDC government mandated the National Commission for Democracy (NCD) to undertake regional consultation meetings nationwide to collate views and build consensus on the issues of returning the country to a constructional democracy. Reports on the regional consultation meetings, by the NCD indicated that an overwhelming majority of the citizenry expressed profound desire for to the country to return to constitutional democratic governance. On the strength of this the PNDC government constituted and mandated 258 member Consultative Assembly (CA) to draft a Constitution for Ghana.
However, on 28th April, 1992, the draft Constitution was subjected to a referendum in pursuance of PNDCL 282 that gave all eligible Ghanaians the opportunity to either endorse or reject the draft Constitution. At the end of poll, Majority of 92.6% voted yes ( endorsed the constitution). This Constitution became functional on 7th January, 1993 to date.
He said, the 1992 Constitution mandate government to secure for the people of Ghana at all times the blessings of liberty, equality of opportunity and prosperity. These include: development of the capacity of each and every Ghanaian to exercise liberties on equal terms. And given every Ghanaian equal opportunity to develop their God given potential to pursue happiness.
The year 2022 marks thirty years of Uninterrupted constitutional Rule in the Fourth Republic. It has been stated with authority by the supreme court of Ghana that a written Constitution ought to be seen as a living organism which is capable of engendering growth and development. Reference to Tuffour v Attorney General (1980) GLR 637. Therefore, it is normal that with the effluxion of time constitutional document would need to change to reflect it's growth and development. This reality was not lost on the framers of the 1992 Constitution. Consequently, they devoted the whole of Chapter twenty five in the Constitution for that purpose.
A Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Gabriel Pwamang, pointed out three main problems many Ghanaians have with the 1992 Constitution. Firstly, deficit in transparent governance despite changing from dictatorship to Constitutional rule in 1992. Secondly, continuous high levels of public sector corruption and lack of accountability of revenue from natural resource exploitation, and finally, non- realization of real democratic dividend in the form of accelerated national development promised as attainable under constitutional rule.
He disclose this at NCCE National level lecture and panel discussion to lunch the 2022 Annual Constitution Week Celebration. There seems to be a new spirit of constitutional consciousness rising among us, which have never been experienced in this country. There are calls from civil society organization, political parties, academics and others demanding amendment of the 1992 Constitution to engender growth and development of the country, less than half a decade after the Constitution came into force.
In 1996 certain policy choices made were not playing out coherently and this led to an amendment providing for dual citizenship which was barred in the original Constitution. Less than a decade and half late, in 2010 the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) under chairmanship of Professor (Emeritus) Albert Kodzo Fiadjoe was established. The Commission was tasked to ascertain from the people of Ghana, their views on the operation of the 1992 Constitution, particularly it's strength and weaknesses. The Commission carried out it's mandate and submitted a report to government in December, 2011. In June, 2012 government issued a white paper on the report of the Commission, accepting most of the recommendations of the Commission.
Subsequently, a five member Constitution Review Implementation Committee was set up by government in October, 2012 to drive the implementation of the recommended amendment in accordance with Chapter 25 of the Constitution. In spite of these significant strides towards amending the Constitution, we are yet to move that process to it's logical end.
There is no doubt that the final processes of amendment would definitely require the cooperation of both sides of the Parliament and l believe that there are some areas of proposed amendment that the major political parties, through their election manifestos, expressed consensus on.
It is relevant to note that, one remarkable characteristics of the present calls for amendment is that all actors involved- political parties, civil society groups and the academics, agree that there is the need for some adjustments to be made to the Constitution.
NCCE, herein, appeal to the personnel of the security services to critically study the Constitution and contribute to the national discourse and also participate in the referendum, if the amendment of the 1992 Constitution is carried out.
in conclusion, he thanked the regional commanders of both the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Immigration Service for their support and time.
