NPP Secretary questions government’s commitment to constitutional review
Saibu Slanwiah Demah questions the government’s handling of the Constitutional Review Committee’s recommendations and raises concerns over proposed judicial reforms.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Secretary for the Navrongo Central Constituency, Saibu Slanwiah Demah, has questioned the government’s commitment to the Constitutional Review Committee’s work, particularly its handling of the committee’s recommendations.
Speaking on the Big Mike Breakfast Show on Friday, September 18, Slanwiah said the government’s decision to disagree with or modify a significant number of the committee’s recommendations raised concerns about the direction of the constitutional review process.
He noted that although the Constitutional Review Committee had completed its work, its report remained pending for several months before the government presented its own position on the recommendations.
“How do you support a committee to do its work and go ahead to reject 100 recommendations from such a committee?” Slanwiah asked.
According to him, the committee made 147 recommendations, of which the government accepted 47, while disagreeing with or proposing modifications to several others.
He also alleged that the government had introduced additional provisions beyond the committee’s recommendations, arguing that such an approach could alter the character of the committee’s work.
“When you take the committee’s work to NDC’s headquarters and you are doing it, you are not supporting the committee. You have thrown it away,” he said.
Slanwiah also raised concerns about proposed reforms relating to Ghana’s judiciary, particularly discussions surrounding the number of Supreme Court judges and comments attributed to the Chief Justice.
He cautioned political actors to exercise care when considering changes to constitutional institutions, arguing that decisions taken by one administration could have implications for future governments and the country’s democratic institutions.
The NPP constituency secretary further maintained that the party’s concerns about the constitutional review process should not be dismissed as mere political criticism.
He said the NPP’s position was informed by what the party considers important issues relating to the protection of Ghana’s constitutional democracy and the long-term functioning of the country’s institutions.
Mike 105.3FM | Navrongo | Elizabeth Apusaama
