By Emmanuel Nii Sackey
A Civil Society Organization, Citizens’ Platform on Constitutional Reforms, is urging Government to promptly release the full Constitutional Review Committee report, enabling citizens to scrutinize the proposals and participate meaningfully in shaping the reforms.
Furthermore, the organization has called for the immediate establishment of the Implementation Committee, stressing that President John Dramani Mahama should swiftly constitute the Constitutional Review Implementation Committee (CRIC) comprising representatives from civil society, academia, professional bodies, and political actors to oversee the reform process.
“The mandate of the CRIC should be clearly defined to prevent it from becoming a deliberative body that revisits debates on constitutional review,” the group stated.
The Government has also been urged to publish a transparent timeline and implementation plan for the constitutional reform process.
Professor Akosua Keseboa Darkwah, an executive member of the platform and Professor of Sociology at the University of Ghana, advised the Government to organize the Constitutional Review Committee report in a manner that clearly articulates the Government’s policy stance without altering the committee’s analysis or recommendations.
“A position paper, if issued, should serve as a guide for discussion rather than dictate outcomes. Its purpose should be to present the Government’s views for public consideration,” Professor Darkwah stated, further emphasizing that a successful reform process should be open, participatory, and nationally owned.