*Holds maiden edition of #FixTheConstitution Day tomorrow

Story: Atta  Kwaku BOADI

The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has honoured its candidates who contested the 2020 parliamentary elections at the party’s National Committee’s meeting held on Saturday, December 4, 2021 at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel in Accra.

The meeting brought together three regional representatives from all the 16 regions in Ghana, members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Council of Elders of the party.

Presenting the certificates to the candidates, the National Chairman of the party, Nana Ofori Owusu  acknowledged the courage and sacrifices  which were  demonstrated by the candidates, as forbearers of  the party in their respective  constituencies.

To this end, the outspoken PPP’s  National  Chairman called on all Ghanaians to also acknowledge the fact  that, “the PPP is the third force Ghanaians have been yearning  for in the next  general elections”

He also urged the  2020 parliamentary candidates including the rank and file of the party  to continue promoting the principles and  values of the party.

These, he said, include, building a just and disciplined society, equal opportunities for all, an inclusive society and incorruptibility.

Certificates of recognition were also given to the constituencies as well as regions which  were able to present candidates.

Nana Ofori as  he is affectionately called also used the occasion to announce the party’s maiden edition of #FixTheConstitution Day which comes off tomorrow, Tuesday, December 7, 2021

The PPP has declared December 7 every year as  #FixTheConstitution Day

According to the PPP, the day is to drum home the need to amend certain portions of the 1992 Constitution.

In an interview with Today on the sidelines of the event, Nana Ofori  noted that  calls for the  amendment of certain portions of the 1992 Constitution  were long overdue.

He underscored the need for  the  constitutional  amendment  before the  next  presidential  and parliamentary elections in 2024.

He  claimed  that no political party in Ghana had  remained so committed, consistent and vocal on the subject matter of constitutional review in Ghana as the PPP had been.

“We  made many representations to the Constitutional Review Commission, Constitutional Review Implementation Committee, the Presidency, the Parliament and the Council of State on these matters. All these calls have fallen on deaf ears because various elected governments have demonstrated a clear and present lack of political will to make the necessary changes to our 1992 Constitution”, the PPP’s National Chairman  disclosed.

The outspoken PPP’s National Chairman  noted that after three solid decades of operating this document, a number of the aspirations had eluded the good people of Ghana.

“Our country is yet to derive the dividends of democratic governance. Unfortunately, the conduct of elections and the successive transfer of power have been used as an indicator of success. This approach is misleading in terms of evaluating the actual improvement in the lives of the people in the area of education for every citizen, access to basic social amenities such as water, electricity, tarred roads in residential areas, safe inter-regional motorways, descent housing, jobs for the youth, political accountability, reduction in corruption, stability of the currency and a good standard of living” , he  said.

“ We rather have, after thirty years of democracy, the spectre of massive levels of youth unemployment, excessive executive powers, a compromised parliament, abuse of power, unbridled political corruption, waste of Ghana’s resources, nepotism, mediocrity, mismanagement of the economy and the constant failure of leadership. In fact, the current constitution in our view has created a situation where the winning political parties have treated the republic as colony to be conquered and its resources taken for the welfare of a few privileged members of the party in power; depriving the significant majority of Ghanaians the dividends of a well constituted democratic state” , he added.

The stability of the country,  according to him  had been  threatened by the sheer greed, elite capture and an intensely exclusionary political system where citizenship  was no longer enough requirement to have access to state resources and to partake in the sharing of the national cake.

According to the party’s chair , there were  five (5) fundamental changes that needed immediate attention to guarantee some modicum of progress if Ghana  was  to gain or get any dividends in  her last democratic experiment.

The five areas he  mentioned  were;  he election of the municipal and  metropolitan chief executives (MMDCEs) ,  prohibiting Members of Parliament (MPs)  from being appointed as Ministers of State or MPs must resign from parliament after their ministerial appointment;  separating  the office of the Attorney-General from the Ministry of Justice;  introducing  a public declaration of assets regime and clarifying  the eligibility of Ghanaians in the Diaspora to hold public office MMDCEs .

Nana Ofori  also  called for the abolishment of  appointees  by the president to fill various positions in the country .

This ,he said, had been flogged over the years with elected governments demonstrating the lack of political will to empower the districts to elect their Chief Executive Officers who are the true agents of developments.

He further disclosed that loads of activities including lectures and fora would be  held at national, regional and constituency  levels to mark the day.