The Commissioner of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Kathleen Addy has added her voice to the calls for a revised or new constitution.
Madam Addy says the 1992 Constitution may have outlived its essence after thirty years and needs to be revised to sync with current societal trends.
Speaking on Face to Face on Citi TV on the commemoration of Ghana’s thirty-year democratic journey, Madam Addy acknowledged that the constitution “hasn’t been perfect, but we have come a long way.”
She said just like any document, the constitution may not be able to stand the test of relevance and must be reviewed on that score.
“The constitution is supposed to be a living document and so there comes a time when we need to review the document because a lot of things have happened over the past 30 years, a lot of things have changed and society has moved forward in a particular way, and so we should look at the Constitution and identify what needs to be changed.”
She specifically pointed out that the election of local representatives must be enshrined in a reviewed constitution to give the people the power to elect their local leaders.
“Personally, I think the election of MMDCEs is a big omission, and it takes away from our achievement as a democracy. People must experience democracy in real-time and the only way to do that is when you elect your immediate official who has oversight over your community, somebody you can see on a daily basis.”
She however cautioned that a new constitution comes at a cost which those making the calls must be willing to put in a lot of work.
“Democracy is not an event, it is something that we will have to work really hard to achieve. The whole thing about democracy is that the decision-making process is involving.”
