IEA to lead discussion on Presidential Transition

Accra, June 10, GNA - The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA Ghana), a public policy institute, on Tuesday called for discussion on a presidential transitional arrangement, as the nation prepares for another political transfer of power in January 2009.

The Institute said: "The rancorous nature of the handing over process from the administration of the National Democratic Congress to that of the New Patriotic Party in 2001 resulted in the development of deep seated animosity between the two parties up to the present time."

"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, will induce some measure of accommodation and co-operation," IEA Ghana stated in a document made available to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

The IEA Ghana and the Ghana Political Parties Programme have therefore 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.

Mrs. Jean Mensa, IEA Ghana Administrator, told the GNA that the Bill also sought to create a more harmonious transfer of the reins of government from one administration to another in a manner that would not introduce needless strain between the winner and the loser.

"It will 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."

Mrs. Mensa recounted the nation's mixed experiences in the effort to establish a multi-party democracy as post-independent Ghana went through a brief period of multi-party democracy.

"After that, a one-party political system was launched. In both instances, neither the Constitution nor an Act of Parliament provided for the formal political arrangements for the transfer of the reins of government.

"Between the post-Nkrumah era and the Fourth Republic, the democratically elected governments did not survive their full tenure. The Governments were removed from office through coups d'=E9tats." She said in the same vein, the tenure of the respective Parliaments were terminated undemocratically; the results were that both the Executive and the Legislature did not have the opportunity to undergo changes through established democratic processes.

"Since January 7, 1993, Ghana can be said to have succeeded in establishing a functional multi-party democracy. It is steadily gaining roots. And this concept that 'governments go and come' and that they will continue to change through elections has gained wide acceptance.

"The stability achieved in the practice of multi-party democracy, over the past 16 years, during which time a sitting Government was changed peacefully, has made it compelling for the country to find ways for further improving the process associated with the chosen multi-party democracy governance system by regulating by law the shared experience of arrangements for the transfer of the reins of Government."

Mrs. Mensa said this historical experience should serve as a major incentive for getting the co-operation of all regarding the political transfer of the reins of government to avoid the pain, frustrations, rancour and arbitraries that characterised the first and only real political transfer process in 2001.

It noted that in January 1997, Ghana experienced her first political transfer of the reins of government under the Fourth Republican Constitution. That transfer was, however, not remarkable since it was a transfer from the same party, the National Democratic Congress to the National Democratic Congress, and from President J.J. Rawlings to President J.J. Rawlings.

The transfer in 2005 was of a similar nature - from the National Patriotic Party to the National Patriotic Party; from President John Agyekum Kufuor to President John Agyekum Kufuor for the second four-year term of office.

Mrs. Mensa noted that the transfer in January 2001 of the reins of government from the National Democratic Congress administration to the administration of the New Patriotic Party presented the real challenge.

"That experience exposed the problems, human and political. That experience was profound and remarkable in many respects. It presented learning and reforms opportunities that the Bill now seeks to address. On 1st January 2001, the Joint Transitional Team was inaugurated by the out-going Vice-President and the defeated Presidential candidate. The person elected as President co-chaired the Joint Transitional Team.

"The transitional period was effectively 1st January to 6th January; rancour and acrimony, rather than co-operation, were what the process produced."

Mrs Mensa said the euphoria of victory and the disappointment of losing brought about some form of unpleasantness and discord in the work of the Team and conflicting postures introduced irritation on both sides.

She said the ill-will developed during the vicious and acrimonious political campaign period insidiously wormed its way into the work of the Team and denied it the much needed co-operation and good-will and the absence of established procedures resulted in the use of discretion by a discordant and fragmented Team.

Mrs. Mensa said the objective of a smooth political transfer of the reins of government in a multi-party democratic system was to deliver to the people some grounds for strategic and principled continuity. It also provided a fair measure of political accommodation and congenial environment for the public good which enabled the public services to function without undue party political pressures.

"These benefits were lost as civil and public servants were drawn into the conflicts between the contending political parties involved in the transfer. Instructions given to public servants in the handling of the affairs of out-going officials may have, sometimes, offended the perception of the public servants as to what is fair, decent and acceptable in some cases. This trend must not be allowed to continue." Mrs Mensa said the review of the 2001 arrangements thus provided valuable lessons for the design of a well-structured arrangement for the future transfer of the reins of government which would avoid the negative experiences that characterised the 2001 episode. 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 President.