The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, is advocating a drastic reduce withinside the wide variety of ministers withinside the united states of america to 19. “It is my competition that other than local ministers, the wide variety of significant authorities ministers won't should exceed 19, as contained withinside the Constitution, and which means ministries need to additionally now no longer exceed 19,” he stated. Delivering a paper on “The Relevance of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution Within the Context of Global Democratic Practices” at a public lecture on the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi final Tuesday, he defined that reducing off the extra numbers could notably lessen public expenditure. “We are caught as a state due to the fact lots of our ministers do now no longer upload cost to our governance. I am now no longer speaking approximately the present day NPP management. I seek advice from all administrations on account that 1993. “The time has come for us to location withinside the Constitution an top ceiling at the wide variety of Ministers of State that we need to have,” he stated. The public lecture, which became organised via way of means of the KNUST, targeted at the query of the want or in any other case for a evaluation of the 1992 Constitution. The dialogue included regions consisting of the milieu of the crafting of the Constitution, preceding efforts made at modification, proof of needs for modification from distinguished Ghanaians and situating it withinside the present day worldwide and neighborhood context. In a no-holds-barred shipping that lasted approximately forty minutes, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who's additionally the Majority Leader in Parliament, tackled some of important countrywide problems vis-a-vis the Constitution, and the audience, which blanketed lecturers and fundamental team of workers and college students of the university, couldn't assist however deliver him a status ovation on the end. Constitutional provisions Making connection with the 1992 Constitution, the veteran legislator stated the Constitution furnished that there will be a Cabinet such as the President, the Vice-President and now no longer much less than 10 and now no longer extra than 19 ministers of nation. Explaining that Cabinet ministers assisted the President withinside the evolution of policies, he stated: “So in case you aren't a Cabinet minister, you aren't a part of the procedure of the evolution of policies. That approach that a minister who isn't a Cabinet minister can't assent to or gift a invoice or settlement to Parliament and, therefore, isn't a part of the procedure withinside the system of policies.” “If this is the case, why need to we've such big numbers as ministers withinside the fi rst location?” he asked. Excessive appointing powers The minister additionally expressed fear on the immoderate appointing powers vested withinside the President, bringing up the reality that the President became mandated to hire approximately 5,000 offi cers to move numerous nation companies and institutions. “This, certainly, is a monarch that the Constitution has created for the relaxation folks residents to keep him in awe, and it's miles diffi cult to speak immediately to him. This association desires to be revisited,” he insisted. Acting capacity Quoting considerably from the Constitution to returned his assertions, the Majority Leader questioned why the VicePresident became mandated via way of means of the Constitution to behave as President while the incumbent became overseas on offi cial obligations. He opined that Article 60 ( 8), which states that on every occasion the President became absent from the united states of america, or for another motive became not able to carry out the capabilities of his offi ce, the VicePresident shall carry out the ones capabilities till the President returns, became outdated. “Does the mere absence of the President from the united states of america approach he's not able to carry out the capabilities of his offi ce?” he asked. Proceeding to offer an answer, he stated: “This can't be genuine on this technological age while the President exits the jurisdiction to carry out offi cial obligations for the united states of america. For instance, while attending the UN meeting, he's nonetheless the President.” Vetting of ministers Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu stated the state of affairs wherein a minister who became being reshuffl ed to some other ministry did now no longer undergo some other vetting via way of means of Parliament need to be checked out once more. “Parliament have to vet the individual once more for that function so that it will fulfill itself that the individual has the competence and know-how for that function,” he stated, including that if that became now no longer carried out, it'd be tough to evaluate the competence of the individual withinside the new area. He posited that ministerial appointment became extreme commercial enterprise and couldn't be decreased to try-and-blunders due to the fact governance became approximately the lives of the humans. A-G function untenable Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu zoomed in at the capabilities of the AttorneyGeneral (A-G), as furnished withinside the Constitution, and defined them as untenable. He posited that it became unacceptable for the A-G, who's the fundamental felony consultant to the authorities and additionally in fee of the prosecution of all suspected criminals, to be a minister of nation. “If the A-G is a minister withinside the ruling authorities, certainly, as human as he's, he's going to generally tend to deal with his colleague ministers with youngster gloves and handiest cross after competition factors and previous ministers,” he asserted. Therefore, he stated, it became right and prudent to insulate the A-G and make sure his independence. “For instance, the reputation of the A-G may be made equal to that of the Chief Justice or as a minimum a justice of the Supreme Court. He have to now no longer be a minister of nation appointed via way of means of a President. By that, he's going to traverse numerous administrations and his independence can be guaranteed,” the Majority Leader stated. Electoral Commission’s function Emphasising the significant function the Electoral Commission (EC) performed withinside the democratic procedure, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Suame stated its commissions and omissions should enhance or pull away the democratic procedure. He cited that there were agitation over the overall performance of the EC, relying on which birthday birthday celebration became in competition. Mr Kyei-mensah-Bonsu stated there has been the want for solutions to be furnished to sure problems regarding the EC. “Should the appointment of the commissioners be subjected to parliamentary approval? Should they be appointed to serve for a defi ned term? Should the club encompass birthday birthday celebration contributors?” he queried. Elections, he stated, had the capacity to cause strifes in lots of African countries, which became why Ghana need to now no longer permit any bad incidents to appear earlier than speeding to combat it. NDPC politically tainted Also at the radar of the Majority Leader became the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), that's a critical factor withinside the improvement schedule of the united states of america. He stated the composition of the NDPC, as furnished via way of means of Article 86, made it politically tainted. “A widespread majority of contributors of the NDPC are made of ministers of nation, so irrespective of the pleasant of the product, if it's miles carried out via way of means of the NPP, the NDC may have not anything to do approximately it, and if it's miles carried out via way of means of the NDC, the NPP does now no longer need to have whatever to do approximately it. “I accept as true with that the availability at the NDPC, mainly with reference to the composition, will should be amended to permit it to performs its function because the fundamental driving force of the countrywide improvement plan,” he stated. Campaign spending Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu additionally expressed situation approximately the big quantities spent all through electioneering and stated it bred corruption. He stated at the average, a presidential candidate really well worth his salt couldn't spend much less than GH¢four hundred million earlier than prevailing an election, asking: “Where will the candidate have the cash from?” “There is a nexus among the marketing campaign expenditure and corruption fuelled via way of means of awards of contracts,” he added. In that context, he burdened the want for Ghana to look for a machine of governance that might lessen the rot withinside the machine of governance furnished via way of means of the 1992 Constitution. Brainstorm The Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the KNUST, Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo, who chaired the occasion, stated the general public lecture became initiated via way of means of the University to permit technocrats, experts and the humans to brainstorm on problems affecting Ghana’s improvement and growth.
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