The newly formed Constitutional Review Commission is expected to conduct public hearings across the 10 regions of Ghana. The review process will not lead to the rewriting of the constitution but will ensure that recommendations for amendments to the constitution will be made to government. A draft Bill will also be provided for possible amendments.
The commission has already been inundated with petitions from the public. "Every single petition before the commission will be carefully examined. The issues raised are very valid," said Dr. Raymond Atuguba, a legal practitioner, and executive secretary of the commission. The petitions received to date vary and include calls for a review of the powers of the executive.
He said the number of petitions received by the commission shows the extent to which the public was looking forward to the review. Calls to review the constitution became pronounced during the 2008 general elections, with almost all the contesting political parties promising to allow Ghanaians make input to the process.
In his state of the nation address to parliament last year, President John Mills said that government will fulfil its promise to put the constitution before Ghanaians for a national debate on proposed amendments. He said this will be done in a broad manner, so that every petition received will be examined on merit and incorporated in the final amendments.
"We believe also that a National Constitutional Review Conference is the surest way to ensure that our manifesto promises, as well as those of some of the other political parties, which require constitutional amendments see fruition in a consensual manner," Mills told the MPs.
Source: Allafrica