Civil society platform demands greater citizen involvement in constitutional reforms

The Civil Society Organisation Platform on Constitutional Reforms has called for increased citizen participation in the ongoing review process. According to the platform's chairperson, Prof. Akosua Darkwah, the committee must inform citizens, consult them, and provide them with genuine opportunities to voice their opinions. Darkwah emphasized that citizens need to understand the proposed changes, freely express their views, and see that their contributions have been seriously considered.

The platform's position paper argues that the Constitution belongs to the Ghanaian people, not just the government, parliament, political parties, lawyers, or experts. Darkwah stated that the group disagreed with several aspects of the proposed reforms, including the concentration of power in the presidency, the independence of institutions, public officers' accountability, the protection of public resources, and meaningful citizen participation in government.

One of the platform's concerns is the concentration of power in the presidency. They believe that the four-year term of the president and MPs should be retained, as the reforms already accept the election date, transition period, and the powers of an outgoing administration. Darkwah argued that if the government reconsidered its opposition to limiting presidential power, protecting the independence of institutions, and promoting inter-branch accountability, the current four-year term would be sufficient.

In terms of appointments, the platform advocates for a character-based approach, where independent and oversight institutions select appointees through transparent, competitive, and merit-based processes. They also support a clear separation between the executive and parliament, as well as a constitutional prohibition on MPs serving on boards, governing councils, and procurement committees of publicly funded institutions.

The proposed Devolution Commission is necessary to coordinate fiscal and administrative decentralization, assess district viability, and prepare the country for the election of local chief executives.