Ex-President John Agyekum Kufour has proposed that the Council of State should be scrapped and replaced with a Second Chamber to perform its functions.
The Statesman called for the scrapping of the Council of State from the 1992 Constitution while speaking at a forum organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) in Accra on Tuesday, November 22.
His call comes when the Council of State, a body of prominent citizens who advises the President on national issues, is largely criticized and said to have outlived its usefulness.
Ex-President Kufour, siding with the critics, said; “I have gone through all these periods and I have come to the conclusion that perhaps, what our constitution should have, is to temper the extremes of our democracy. It is not Council of State but a Second Chamber well-composed on the basis of democracy.”
But former Minister for Central Region, Kwamena Duncan has contrary views.
According to him, setting up a Second Chamber requires redoing of the 1992 Constitution but he can't foresee it happening without resistance.
"I can't see my way out on appointment to the Second Chamber and I think that it will be resisted and it will not, even from the word 'go', it will be unpopular even before it is born," he argued during discussions on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show Wednesday morning.
He expounded that, "if the Second Chamber is something we need, it is one that requires virtually redoing of our constitution and when I look into the crystal ball, I can't see how, in this charged environment, we will go for a Second Chamber and appoint who and who; and we have all manner of groups coming up that, look, we also deserve our reps to be in the Second Chamber because they will our voice when they go there".
The former Minister, arguing in favor of the Council, stressed that "they will do their bid...as members of the Council of State".
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
| Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
