Ghana’s constitution is political; needs to be amended – Inusah Fuseini

Former Tamale Central Member of Parliament, Inusah Fuseini, has referred to the 1992 constitution as a “political constitution.”

He said it was purposefully built by a military leader, the late Jerry John Rawlings to preserve the country’s stability.

He claimed that the late Prof. John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) tried to amend it but was unable to do so due to the NDC’s defeat in the 2016 election, resulting in the waste of about $60 million.

“The NDC attempted to change it but failed because they were voted out, resulting in the waste of almost $60 million dollars. Ghana’s constitution is a political document. That is why a lot of Ghanaians complain that the president has so much power.”

According to him, the entire constitution should be amended, not just parts of it, explaining that the country requires a development constitution.

Dr Kwesi Amakye Boateng, a Political Science Lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, also stated that the 1992 constitution failed to generate economic stability in Ghana, which has become the country’s chronic problem.

He believes that MPs are misusing their power and that taxpayers money is being squandered on frivolous expenditures.

He said that amendment of a country’s constitution does not dwell on duration, instead, the impact it would have on the country.

“The amendment of the constitution does not depend on time, instead, it impacts on the country being evaluated before it can be changed or maintained. Constitution is supposed to yield a positive result but this constitution has failed to improve the economic stability of the country,” he lamented.

Dr Boateng went on to say that the president has been granted far too much power and that some constitutional privileges should be taken away from him.

“There are a lot of privileges that should be taken from the president and also leaders of the security services such as the police, military and others. It’s because they appoint whoever they want at any point in time,” he said.