Ex-Clerk of Parliament extols 1992 Constitution

From the Ghanaian Independent

By Lewis Asubiojo A former clerk of Ghana Parliament, Mr. K.B. Ayensu has underscored the sovereignty of the 1992 Constitution which allays people's fears and make coup d'etat a treasonable offence punishable by death. ;The 1992 Constitution adopted and enacted by 259 true and trusty citizens of Ghana, has laid our fears to rest by making coup de'tat an offence of high treason punishable by death; said Mr. Ayensu in a paper delivered at the ongoing Ninth Seminar of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association", in Accra The theme of his paper was Parliamentary Scene in Ghana; He said the country's Supreme Court today has the power to determine the sovereignty of the constitution over coup d'etat in both dejure and defacto perspectives, should there be another coup in the country. Mr. Ayensu recalled various parliamentary roles in Ghana from 1850 to date, right from the 1884 bond constitutional instrument for colonization to the birth of 1992 Constitution. Commenting on various parliaments from independence up todate, Mr. Ayensu extolled the virtue of the 1965 and 1993 parliament, saying that the opposition during the period played vibrant roles, though very small. The 1997 parliament has been working for less than three months but already the excitement in the house has been tremendous; Ayensu said of the 1997 parliament.

Expressing his views on the 1957 parliament, the former clerk noted that the uncomfortable memory of the period was the enactment of the Preventive detention Act of 1958, describing it as the most oppobrious step taken by a party that led the Gold Coast to independence.