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09.11.2014 Letter

Open Letter To Prof. Mike Ocquaye

By Safe Democracy Mother Ghana
Prof. Mike OcquayeProf. Mike Ocquaye
09.11.2014 LISTEN

Professor Mike Quaye
Dome-Kwabenya
Accra.

Dear Sir,

The Council of State

Safe Democracy Ghana is a Constitutional Reformation Platform for promulgating, assimilating and consolidating culture and democracy in contemporary Ghana and we are happy to write to you.

We were humbled about your remarks at the National Commission for Civic Education where you acknowledged grave mistakes we committed into admitting into law Articles 89- 92 of the 1992 constitution. We are also enthused you advocated for its review to allow the Custodians of the Land their reasonable place in the institutions of state of Ghana where the spirits and souls of the land that makes Ghana continue to hanker for its culture and tradition to be respected and adopted to grant the rule of law and respect for the “elderly” a place to calm down nerves in an environment where politics has shun unity and oneness among us whilst it continues its threats into dividing us.

Much as the issue about the Council of State is worrisome, more grievous and troublesome are how the other organs of state are consolidated in the realm of separation of powers in the interest of checks and balances only to end up having unicameral legislature with the President of Ghana munificently embedded in the middle of the parliament, guarded and flanked in joy by the best of cogitative brains of the Parliament who are mandated to have an oversight authority over the presidency to effect good democratic dispensation and protect and defend the constitution of Ghana.

The first two lines of Article 91.3 of the 1992 constitution makes reading of the constitutional provision exhilarating and a feeling of another institution of state could have been a knight in shining armour only to proceed and find the predicament of the Ghanaian abound and becomes chunky since all state institutions may disregard or refuse to admit into actions advice of the Council of State under an exercise that requires obedience.

Article 91.3 reads as follows “The Council of State may, upon request or on its own initiative, consider and make recommendations on any matter being considered or dealt with by the President, a Minister of State, Parliament or any other authority established by this Constitution except that the President, Minister of State, Parliament or other authority shall not be required to act in accordance with any recommendation made by the Council of State under this clause”.

Not to forget about the rigorous task of two representatives of all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies congregation in the Regional capitals to elect only one representative to the council of state through the Electoral College system with a corresponding responsibility of “no power of enforcing a decision” makes the entire exercise unwholesome. The essence of the Council of State as an authority and its existence end up to naught and its creation very unnecessary as its existence is only of an advisory role which the President's Cabinet preponderates.

We are withered as to the thinking that went into the formulation of political and economic decision making bodies of Ghana into a single united consortium by merging and marrying the Presidency and the Parliament of Ghana as one entity without countervailing power to check on power to guide against hasty, proscriptive and unwise decisions that has incessantly plummeted the national coffers into huge judgements and drained us to the bones of every Ghana cedi we posses.

Considerations that went into the conjugations of the executive and the legislature (Articles 76.1, 78.1, 79.1 and 111) of the 1992 constitution and the adoption of only one form of electoral system of first-past-the-post for members of parliament (Article 50. constitution 1992) and fifty plus one vote Article 63.3 1992 constitution) for the presidency, informed political parties to stand aghast and caused heightened political tension, mistrust, vilification, mischief, vendetta, arrogance and capricious behavior that has the tendency to mar our young democracy.

Since Ghana moved back stealthily in constitutional rule in 1993, the infractions in the major political parties (intra and inter party)became alarming, the threat to peace and stability during political seasons, the drift from policy based campaigning and the lean toward tribalism, ethnicity and regionalism during elections season, the supposition of every national issue into a political gist showing arrogance and opulence whilst in government and inflaming tensions, passions and mistrust outside government, the increasing animosity and mistrust that keeps creeping in the body politics between and among politicians and their respective political parties is a glaring threat to peace that could only be stopped through system shift.

Safe Democracy Ghana is therefore calling for system shift to a Ceremonial Presidency in the person of the President of the National House of Chiefs, Primary Chamber to be led by Executive Prime Minister and a Second Chamber Parliament to be made up of representatives from within and without members of the Trade Union Congress, Ghana Labour Union and other independent constitutional bodies. Every one represents its organization on its own right and merit.

These are the only ways we can build a United Nation of multi lingua insignia and crease and crush on corruption for peaceful national progress.

Thank you very sincerely for your comments

Sincerely yours

Munir Saani

Executive Secretary

Safe Democracy Ghana.

Cc; to file

To media

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