Over the past year, over 60,000 submissions (and counting) have been made to the Constitution Review Commission. While in-depth analysis of the data is ongoing, a group of 17 researchers at the Commission have had an initial scan of the data and found 548 recurring issues under 77 themes, which in turn fall under 12 thematic areas. Having joined the Commission during its various consultations across the country, the researchers combined this with memories from the field to find 25 of the most popular issues, which have since been received with positive feedback from the countrys regions.
What follows is the resulting Top 25 list. While there are indeed many more issues of concern to Ghanaians, these are the most popular and the Commission encourages the general public to make their thoughts on these topics known by sending them to the special SMS shortcode 1992. In doing so, they will invariably be contributing data and insight into other less popular though just as important issues that are not on the list.
THE EXECUTIVE
24/12/2010
1. What is your view on the payment of ex-gratia awards & emoluments to ex-Presidents & public office holders under the Constitution?
27/12/2010
2. The salary, allowances, facilities, pensions & gratuity of sitting (& former) Presidents are exempt from tax. What are your views on this?
29/12/2010
3. Should a Ghanaian who is also a citizen of another country be disqualified from being elected as an MP or appointed as a Minister of State (and why)?
31/12/2010
4. What is your view on the proposal to limit the number of Ministers & Ministries appointed by the President?
03/01/2011
5. What is your view on the provision in the Constitution which requires the President to appoint the majority of his Ministers from Parliament?
05/01/2011
6. It has been proposed that the roles of Minister of Justice & Attorney-General should be separated. What are your views on this?
07/01/2011
7. What do you think of proposals for an independent National Prosecutor to take the Attorney-General's place in initiating & prosecuting all criminal offences?
10/01/2011
8. What do you think should be the consequence when a sitting President or Vice-President leaves the party on whose ticket he was voted into power?
12/01/2011
9. Some have proposed that Presidential & Parliamentary elections should be held earlier than December. Do you agree? Why?
PARLIAMENT
14/01/2011
10. Should any MP be allowed to propose a Bill with cost implications to Parliament for passage into law? Or should only the President have this right?
17/01/2011
11. The Constitution provides for a minimum of 9 judges to be appointed to the Supreme Court but it doesn't specify the maximum. What are your views on this?
THE JUDICIARY
19/01/2011
12. Instead of the Chief Justice choosing which Supreme Court judge sits on a case, should all Supreme Court Justices hear all cases in the Supreme Court?
21/01/2011
13. What is your view on the proposal that a Constitutional Court should be established to hear only constitutional cases?
DECENTRALIZATION
24/01/2011
14. What is your position on the debate that District, Municipal, & Metropolitan Chief Executives should be elected & not appointed by the President?
26/01/2011
15. What do you think of the constitutional provision which makes the President the appointing authority of 30% of the members of a District Assembly?
28/01/2011
16. What do you think of the provision in the Constitution which makes elections to the District Assemblies & other local government units non-partisan?
INDEPENDENT CONSTITUTIONAL BODIES
31/01/2011
17. What's your view on the Supreme Court decision that - corruption cases aside - CHRAJ can't investigate complaints without an identifiable complainant?
02/02/2011
18. What do you think of proposals to separate the human rights, administrative justice & anti-corruption mandates of CHRAJ into different institutions?
04/02/2011
19. What do you think about the proposals to empower CHRAJ to prosecute corruption cases?
07/02/2011
20. What do you think about proposals to establish a special fund to finance the operations of the independent constitutional bodies?
CHIEFTANCY
09/02/2011
21. What do you think of the provision in the Constitution that a chief shall not take part in active party politics?
PUBLIC SERVICES
11/02/2011
22. Should the retirement age of 60 be maintained, increased or decreased? Why?
TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS
14/02/2011
23. Do you think the indemnity clauses of the Transitional Provisions should be retained or repealed?
HUMAN RIGHTS
16/02/2011
24. What is your view on calls for the abolition of the death penalty?
18/02/2011
25. Should the Directive Principles of State Policy (under Chapter 6 of the Constitution) be enforceable in court?
Minority will expose the beneficial owners of SML, recover funds paid to company...
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang has ‘decapitated’ the NPP’s strategies; don’t take them ser...
Abubakar Tahiru: Ghanaian environmental activist sets world record by hugging 1,...
Prof. Naana Opoku-Agyemang will serve you with dignity, courage, and integrity a...
Rectify salary anomalies to reduce tension and possible strike action in public ...
Stop all projects and fix ‘dumsor’ — Professor Charles Marfo to Akufo-Addo
Blue and white painted schools will attract dirt shortly – Kofi Asare
I endorse cost-sharing for free SHS, we should prioritise to know who can pay - ...
See the four arsonists who petrol-bombed Labone-based CMG
Mahama coming back because Akufo-Addo has failed, he hasn't performed more than ...
