MPs should not be made Ministers of State - Upper East Public Hearing

Bolgatanga, Aug 4, GNA - Participants at a Regional Public Hearing by the Constitutional Review Commission held in Bolgatanga have kicked against the situation where Members of Parliament are made Ministers of State.

Mr Akolgo Alfred, a staff of the Ghana Education Service, said if MPs are made Ministers of State it affected work in Parliament as many of them sometimes had to leave Parliamentary sessions in order to attend to other responsibilities as Ministers.

Participants were also of the view that the constitution should make provision for the Electoral Commission to make the voters' registration exercise yearly to enable those who reach voting age to register.

They stressed the need for the constitution to review the President's tenure of office from four years to five years.

Mr Maxwell Ayamga, a development worker, said a government, upon assumption of office, had to spend one year to appoint its ministers and had to use the last year campaigning for the next election, eventually leaving only two years to execute its programmes and policies.

He said the period for handing over from one government to another was short and there was no time to render accounts.

The participants cited the last handing over of the NPP government to the NDC government as an example and said the time was short and that affected the transition period.

The participants said the ex-gratia paid to parliamentarians should be stopped and rather be paid to MPs who lose their seats.

On the issue of District Chief Executives, participants expressed divergent views. Whilst others were of the view that the DCEs should be appointed others said they should be elected.

Those who were of the view that the DCEs should be appointed explained that elections for DCEs would cost candidates a lot since they would have to use huge amounts of money in their campaigns.

Those who said the DCE should be elected stated that the decentralization concept practiced by the Government, advocated strongly for people at the grassroots level to elect people to represent them at the assembly level.

Participants were of the view that the constitution did not make any room for women to have access to land and natural resources, saying that the constitution only made provision for traditional authorities and subjects.

Prof Albert K Fiadjoe, Chairman of the Constitutional Review Commission, said the Constitutional Instrument setting up the Commission enjoined the Commission to ascertain from the people of Ghana their views on the operation of the 1992 Constitution, its strength and weaknesses.

It was also to articulate the concerns of the people of Ghana as regards amendment that might be required for a comprehensive review of the 1992 constitution and to make recommendation to government for reconsideration and provide a draft bill for possible amendments.

He said the exercise represented nothing more than good housekeeping for the nation and an attempt to fashion out home grown solutions to peculiar government problems.

The programme attracted a large number of people including traditional authorities.