The President Of Ghana Must Answer Questions In Parliament – Please Change Ghana’s Constitution To Stop The Rot In Government!

I cannot delve into details of the evolution and history of Ghana's Constitution now. It's for another day, but the gist is this:

The British left Ghana with a Constitution, based on their own type of Parliamentary Democracy. The Leader of the Majority in Parliament is the Prime Minister. If he loses his Constituency seat, the Party selects another MP in Parliament to replace him as Leader – It's called Primus Inter Pares (First Among Equals). Simple. It was based on the unquestioned premise that all men are born equal with no one possessing messianic powers to change societies by magic wand. The leader provides direction and stabilises the ideological grouping to work for the interest of the country. Nkrumah had to use this when he became Prime Minister of Gold Coast from 1951 to 1957. Most of the good works of Kwame Nkrumah were achieved in this period of open democracy where Dr Busia subjected him to greater enquiry of his stewardship in Parliament. At Independence in 1957, Dr Kwame Nkrumah threw away the Coussey Constitution and its Parliamentary democracy for what was described as President of Life and One Party State that unleashed all the demonic powers of Dictatorship, which in turn led to the aggro and instability with its accompanying corruptive practices that led to economic bankruptcy…and then the 1966 coup de tat

…Fast forward to the Second Republic:
Col E. K. Kotoka and Lt. Col A. A. Afrifa restored Parliamentary Democracy in Ghana in 1969. It was brilliant constitutional democracy where Dr G K Agama took Dr Busia to the cleaners in televised sessions of Prime Ministerial Question Time that thrilled Ghanaians. Everything was transparent forcing the Progress Party Government and its Leader to account for their actions and those of his Ministers as the British still do here. Godfried Kportuvie Agama, Sam Okudzeto and Obed Asamoah raised the profile of their Party and Tribe, but most importantly the Ministers and Secretaries of State became scared to do anything untoward lest they were exposed in Parliament in these weekly sessions. NAL began to grow in prominence as the Old CPP Politicians resurfaced and forced their political rivals to account for their stewardship. I believe every African government needs this constant scrutiny…then the coup de tat came again…from 1972 to 1979, Ghana lived under Military Dictatorship. Instead of reverting to the old Second Republic Constitution, a new one was proposed by the august 1978 Constituent Assembly.

I remember the occasion so much with nostalgia as I accompanied my late Brother E.M. Amponsa-Dadzie, to the 1978 Constituent Assembly in the Old Parliament House where I met Professor D.E.K. Amenumey, who was to be my beloved University Dean: When it came to the question of the Presidency, the Debate became hot with young pro-Parliamentary Democracy defenders like brilliant Lawyer William Kofi Nii Amarteifio, Kwabena Addai-Mensah challenging Harry Sawyer and Ekow Daniels group who advocated for Executive Presidency. I remember the other group saying this was Alien and muttering that the AFRC Regime led by Jerry Rawlings wanted a Singular leader than a Cabinet to negotiate their Indemnity Clauses and Reparations …then my quiet Brother lawyer got his chance: He argued, that the question of Parliamentary Leader versus Executive Presidency was too important to be decided by the Constituent Assembly alone and should be subjected to a National Referendum. Of course no one will listen to a 35 year old Young Lawyer representing Cape Coast but Brother Egyakow was so happy that his contribution would be recorded in the Hansard for posterity. The Executive Presidency won, but its Powers were limited almost to the level of a Parliamentary Leader, probably tying Dr Limann's hands to act decisively against the insurrection of J J Rawlings and Tsikatas, when they sought to overthrew their Constitutional Government

The Executive Presidency was usually practiced in Federal States like USA and Nigeria, but this was short-lived when Jerry Rawlings overthrew Limann. He ruled Ghana from 1982 to 1992, and changed from Military to Civilian President. The Constitution passed by the pro-Rawlings group provided draconian powers to the new Executive Presidency but its major drawback is the albatross hanging round our necks to date. Rawlings was insulated from any forms of scrutiny and challenge to his authority and governance. He won't answer questions in Parliament nor attend Press Conferences to be scrutinised by the National Media. President Kufuor inherited these lavish powers, but appears embarrassed about the absence of questioning of his rule and organised “Meet the People” Sessions across the country, which gave NDC apparatchiks chance to harass and barrack him publicly. Yet he also attended Parliament once a Year to make a Statement and off he went till the following year. Undoubtedly, President Kufuor's government was traditionally democratic and widened the base of press freedom with revocation of laws that obstructed any form of democratic enquiry in the country. It is this stage of obfuscation of public scrutiny of acts of the Executive Presidency that must be repealed and open scrutiny restored, for no one has the right to rule a country as he deems fit. We need more accountability now than ever!!!

President John Dramani Mahama must therefore be compelled to go to Parliament to answer questions about his profligate and excessive use of our poor country's monies. Indeed, a major flaw in Ghana's Constitution is the 'privileges without responsibilities' status awarded to the Executive President of Ghana. He is god who cannot be questioned by anyone in all the period he rules the country. HOW? You vote someone to power to spend your money anyhow without questioning. The President goes to Parliament only FOUR times (once a year) in all his term of office to read a Statement and then go and sit somewhere to spend all the Revenues of State without questioning, and yet Ghana has so many intellectuals and more lawyers are graduating every year saying nothing. Why do we saddle ourselves with a Constitution devised for Dictator Rawlings who could never go to Parliament to answer questions because of his personal shortcomings as an intellectual.

Ghana's President must go to Parliament at least once in two months to answer questions, as done in South Africa and many places. We copy blindly. Ghana is too small to copy the USA Constitution. Parliamentary Democracy is best suited to Ghana. In UK, which is not a Federal State as America, the Prime Minister answers questions every week. It enables him and his Cabinet to be careful of how they use Government expenditure. If a President does not explain how he disbursed our Oil Revenue or why he sold State properties and continue to abuse and misuse our National Resources as carelessly as this man is doing, then where lies the whole concept of Probity and Accountability process enshrined in the same Constitution? What then happens if we have a President who is corrupt, and raking through our resources with his agents and associates? Who stops that rot in the period he rules us? President Mahama has been shielded from answering questions as the NDC did for Jerry Rawlings.

Woyome, Gyeeda, Isofoton, Waterville, SADA, Wampah's proposed GH25 Billion cewdis Overdraft, Depletion of Workers' pension Funds, Ruby Mahama's cocaine saga, Distribution of 1 Million Motor bikes and 1 million laptops can all come for question time in Parliament. That is democracy. I would readily volunteer to submit to questioning by the Representatives of the people!!! Even Chiefs answer to Traditional of Elders. The President of USA might not answer questions in America but he is forensically checked to the minutest details by a most inquisitorial Media. He is subjected to a most vigorous questioning, and would wish we have a media to do that even if he offers to meet them but he does not…Only travelling all over the place ordering our monies to be spent by him and his people as he deems fit. We are a sad race or people. We must search for answers from the First Gentleman of the land!

Please ask the President to go and answer questions about the gargantuan spending he does everyday before the Representatives of the People in PARLIAMENT. At the moment, Ghana has no credible media and the Opposition MPS are lame duck as whatever they say the Speakers won't even record it for discussions with the Executive. It's so unfair and a tortuous for all of us to see our country's meagre resources spent anyhow by a small group of people to enrich themselves, whiles the majority suffer to early deaths. We must all hate and resist hate Dictatorship in all its form, including this present situation. The President of Ghana must be questioned by the Representatives of the People in Parliament every month or two before the media of the country. Only those with skeletons in their cupboard and not intelligent to answer such questions will fear this process. If you cannot stand such scrutiny then please do not offer yourself to lead the country!! At the moment, everybody can be a President!!! It's so easy! Indeed, President Mahama must voluntarily go to Parliament and answer questions about so many issues we want to know, please

Thanks
Kofi Freeman Amponsa-Dadzie