IEA calls for passage of Presidential Transition Bill

Accra, Oct. 13, GNA - The management of Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA Ghana), a public policy institute, on Monday called on Government to expedite action for the passage of a Presidential Transitional arrangement before the December 7 polls. "As the nation prepares for another political transfer of power in January 2009, the Bill must be passed to forestall the operational challenges the 2000 Transitional Team encountered, creating the grounds for suspicion," Mr Kwamena Ahwoi, IEA Ghana Political Consultant stated in Accra.

Schooling journalists on the Democracy Consolidation Strategy Paper (DCSP), which would be officially launched on October 15 this year, Mr Ahwoi said the rancorous nature of the handing over process from the NDC administration to NPP in 2001, must be avoided with the passage of the Bill.

Mr Ahwoi, member of the three-man consultants that worked on the paper, said the animosity resulted in the development of deep seated hostility between the out-going and in-coming government, which had continued over the past eight years.

"That unfortunate state of affairs demands that as a country we put in place, now, and for the future, a mechanism that, it is hoped, would induce some measure of accommodation and co-operation," Mr Ahwoi stated.

The management of IEA Ghana and Ghana Political Parties Programme proposed a President Succession Arrangements Bill which seeks to establish the arrangements for the political transfer of administration from one democratically elected President to another. The Bill also seeks to create a more pleasant transfer of the reins of government from an administration to another in a manner that would not introduce needless strain between the in-coming and out-going government.

"The Bill would help forge national reconciliation, lower the political tension and promote inter-party co-operation. The 2001 experience provides lessons and a compelling reason for the country to rise up and clean her act of political transfer of the reins of government," Mr Ahwoi said.

It also provided a fair measure of political accommodation and congenial environment for public good which enabled public services to function without undue party political pressures. The proposed Bill focuses on the location of responsibility, the processes and procedures, conflict resolution, period for the transfer, statutory welfare and protocol provisions for other officials, security during transfer, inventory and stock-taking and archival storage of handing over reports.

Others are the Succession Council, the functions of the Council, meetings of the Council, co-option of members committees, funds of the Council, meetings with Presidents, handing over notes, availability of handing over notes, media briefings, inventory of assets, election of Speaker and swearing in of the President. 13 Oct. 08