CSOs demand status of recommendations made by Constitution Review Commission

The Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) wants to know from government the status of recommendations made by the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) established in January 2010.

The Coalition, Election Community of Practice and Learning (ECOPL) is also demanding the roadmap for the implementation of these recommendations.

Convener of the Coalition, Eyram Bashan speaking at a press briefing in Accra said the coalition will continue to press hard to positively mobilize and influence critical stakeholders within the governance landscape to ensure implementation of the commission’s recommendations.

She revealed that, over 90% of the commission’s recommendations were accepted by government in a White Paper issued in June 2012 and a Constitutional Review Implementation Committee (CRIC) was set up subsequently in 2014 to move forward the process.

However, after the 2016 general elections and subsequent change in government, nothing significant has been heard or done to implement the recommendations from the constitution review exercise.

The group also wants to know what has happened to the Constitutional Amendment Bill prepared by government after the formation of the implementation committee.

Some of the recommendations cited in the CRC final report according to ECOPL include the annulment of the appointment of Inspector General of Police (IGP), elimination of death penalties from the constitution amongst many other things.

Although she commended government for initiating the process to amend article 55(3) of the 1992 constitution through a referendum to pave way for the election of MMDCE’s which was part of the recommendation, she believes government could do better if it would implement all the CRC recommendations.

Eyram Bashan thus called on President Akufo Addo to officially declare the status of the implementation of the recommendations of the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC).

She also wants the president to ensure the constitution is amended “historically, inclusively and transparently in accordance with the aspirations of all Ghanaians”.