Prof. Stephen Adei, the former chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), has advised the incoming National Democratic Congress (NDC) government to use its resounding majority to enact some impressive changes.
He claims that given its representation in Parliament, the administration will have no justification for changing the numerous flaws in the constitution that Ghanaians have unanimously decided need to be fixed.
He asserts that the two-thirds majority in Parliament can be used to change the fundamental ones that are not firmly established and do not need a referendum.
The economist and administrator, however, have cautioned against changing the essence of the document that has governed the country for several decades in order to preserve its integrity.
The former rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), in an interview with TV3's Hot Issues on Sunday, December 22, 2024, urged the incoming government to reexamine the Prof. Fiadjoe Commission report, which he claims is by far one of the best commission reports ever written for the country, with regard to the composition of its membership and the work it completed, in order to amend the constitution.
He suggested that many of the report's recommendations may be modified by the administration and put into effect for the benefit of the state.
"The Commission report by Prof. Fiadjoe was, in my opinion, among the best produced in Ghana. It was nonpartisan for the first time, with the NPP and NDC present. Their report was strong, and I believe we had something to work on.
He said, "Let's take it, tweak it, and immediately, the ones that don't require referendum, which are not entrenched, should immediately use their two-thirds majority to quickly tackle those obvious ones that the two-thirds majority can do, and then leave the entrenched ones."
He did, however, caution against altering the fundamental provisions of the constitution that have governed Ghana as a democratic state for many years.
"I believe they can accomplish a lot and address the obvious issues without affecting the foundation of our constitution, which has been in place for many years." However, I believe that they can make changes to things like the NDPC's independence and the election of DCEs, but if they compromise the integrity of our constitution in any way, aside from what Ghanaians have agreed upon through the Fiajoe [Commission], they would be left to regret it," he said.