The national chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, has commended Ghanaians for helping to sustain the 1992 constitution for 30 years.
“It is a feat worth celebrating. We must pat ourselves on the back for sustaining this constitution thus far,” he said.
He gave the commendation in an interview with the Daily Graphic on the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the promulgation of the 1992 constitution and the birth of the Fourth Republic.
The 1992 constitution came into force on 7 January 1993, after it had been approved in a referendum on 28 April 1992.
Scrutiny
While celebrating the successes of the Fourth Republic, Ofosu-Ampofo said it was worth noting that Ghana’s constitutional order had also come under strong scrutiny.
He said the hung eighth parliament meant that “we need to work together”.
Apart from a hung parliament, the House also witnessed the election of a person from the Minority party as Speaker.
“It is a test we must all work on to pass to better our democracy,” he said.
Rule of law
The NDC chairman said the events heralding the inauguration of the eighth parliament, during which military personnel entered the chamber of Parliament, must be investigated.
He cited the ongoing investigations into the attack the US suffered last year on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC as a test case for Ghana to follow.
Ofosu-Ampofo argued that with Parliament as the citadel of democracy, the storming of the House by military personnel must be seen as an assault on Ghana’s democratic dispensation.
Therefore, he called on Parliament to investigate the incident and deal with any individual or individuals who ordered the armed forces to enter Parliament on 7 January 2021, stressing: “We cannot sweep it under the carpet.”
He said the tendency for the executive to manipulate the system was not good for democratic growth and cited the recent confirmation of certain metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives as an example.
“We must check the abuse of the system by all the arms of government, so that we can make progress,” he said.
Review
Ofosu-Ampofo reiterated the need for constitutional reforms, especially a review to help plug any loopholes in the 1992 constitution.
That, the NDC chairman said, would help improve the checks and balances in Ghana’s governance structures.
Background
Since the constitution came into effect in 1993, it has witnessed the successful transfer of power from the NDC to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2001.
The NPP also handed over power to the NDC in 2009, and the NPP assumed the reins of governance from the NDC again in 2017.
The period has also seen Ghana earn the accolade as one of the most peaceful, stable and democratic countries on the African continent.
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