1992 Constituiton is dead and must be buried - Committee Member

A member of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee in Parliament, Hon. Frank Agyin has said, the 1992 constitution is dead and must be buried.

According to him, he agrees with critics who have said that, our underdevelopment should be blamed on the constitution of Ghana. He explained, the constitution of Ghana was drafted to fill a gap, and that gap was to also give us a watershed from military rule and dictatorship.

The legislator said, the current constitution should not have existed till date, after serving it's purpose.

Mr. Agyin commended the framers of Ghana's constitution but added that, they [drafters] rushed in putting together the document. "There are so many things in the constitution that are good but it falls short of so many things... It is time for the demise of the constitution. This constitution must be dead and buried for a new one to be drafted... We need a more forward-looking constitution; looking at modern times."

The MP for Efigyir Asokore in the Ashanti region, who was speaking in an interview with Kwame Tutu on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm said, the constitution has outlived it's purpose and was a transitional document. "The current constitution was transitional but it has helped us to attain the status of a democracy. It helped to stabilise this country but, it is now outmoded," he stated further.

Hon. Frank Agyin underscored the urgent need for the renewal of the constitution.

When asked why the implementation of the constitutional review's work has delayed, he said, the review needs "review upon review" because it contains some bad laws in them.

The Speaker of Parliament and parliamentarians he revealed , would want parliament to have a critical review of the constitution but they've been unable to cross that bridge, he added.

He said, the review's work needs to be brought before Parliament for a careful review and analysis. "We need time to overhaul the report because it needs to be a blueprint for future generation...We cannot rush the review by just removing and adding."

The Constitution of Ghana is the supreme law of the Republic of Ghana. It was approved on 28 April 1992 through a national referendum after 92% support.

It defines the fundamental political principles, establishing the structure, procedures, powers and duties of the government, structure of the judiciary and legislature, and spells out the fundamental rights and duties of citizen.