Avoka calls for intensive public education prior to referendum

Mr Cletus Avoka, the Member of Parliament Zebilla, has stressed the need for intensive public education on the draft proposal of amendments to the constitutional before carrying out a national referendum.

He said: “we need sufficient public education campaign to explain the issues to the people for them to understand what is at stake so that they will come out in their numbers and vote during the referendum”.

He said the law stipulates that 40 per cent of the population or more must cast their votes after which it returns to parliament for passing.

Mr Avoka who was speaking at a dialogue meeting on Constitution Review Process in Accra, said it was very important that Parliamentarians study the proposals carefully and critically as well as studying the mood of the public before passing it.

“That is why every Ghanaian must see the exercise as a multi-party exercise and not partisan one and do their best to contribute to its success,” he added.

He said the letter and spirit of the Constitution invited all citizens to exercise patience, have deep thinking when it comes to reviewing it so that the right thing would be done.

“We must not forget that two thirds of the entire membership of Parliament has to vote on the issues at stake and out of that 75 per cent must vote in favour before it can be amended. That is why it is important that we eschew partisan approach in order to have a very good law,” he added.

The dialogue meeting was organised by Department of Human Development (DHD) of the National Catholic Secretariat (NCS) in collaboration with Star-Ghana for participants from faith-based organisation, civil society organisations and some professional bodies.

The dialogue was to access progress made in the bid to influence the final outcome of the national review and to see how they could redouble their efforts to dully realize their expectations from the Constitution review.

Mr Samuel Zan Akologo, Executive Secretary, DHD-NCS, called on the government to allocate sufficient resources to the institutions responsible to bring the constitution review to a successful closure.

Mr Akologo said lack of publicity of the amendment proposals left Ghanaians in worrying doubt about their expectations for the reforms.

He said in July 2013, DHD-NCS launched the Right to Health Campaign in collaboration with the Marshallan Relief and Development Services (MAREDES), a national NGO of the Catholic Knights and Ladies of Marshall.

He said the joint effort was aimed at realizing one specific dimension if Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) in the Constitution.

“The Right to Health Campaign has since galvanized partnerships with other like-minded organizations, including the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches (GPCC) and Amnesty International, Ghana,” he added.

He thanked MAREDES and Star-Ghana for their support in the implementation of the campaign to have the Right to Health included in the amendment proposals for the 1992 Constitution.

Mr David Yiridong Issaka, Programme Liaison, Right to Health Project, said the project is working with 15 selected District Assemblies in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions to encourage them to be proactive and implement selected provisions of the Public Health Act (Act851) as evidenced in their plans.

Mr Lawrence Amesu, Director, Amnesty International, said emphasis in the past had been on the respect and protection of civil and political rights at the expense of ESCR.