The Member of Parliament for Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has defended the government’s position against calls for a new consultative assembly as part of the ongoing constitutional review process.
Speaking in a JoyNews interview, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu said the review process has been ongoing for nearly two years and has already involved extensive nationwide consultations.
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He said the committee chaired by Professor Prempe engaged thousands of citizens, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), experts and various interest groups.
He added that leading figures, including former President Kufuor and current Minority leaders, were also part of the consultative process.
Mr. Kwakye Ofosu therefore described calls for another broad-based consultative assembly involving organised labour, chiefs and civil society as “late in the day.”
He explained that the proposed constitutional amendments will follow two different pathways depending on whether the provisions are entrenched or non-entrenched.
According to him, non-entrenched provisions will be debated in Parliament by the 276 elected Members of Parliament.
Entrenched provisions, on the other hand, will require a national referendum, allowing registered voters to make the final decision.
Mr. Kwakye Ofosu also acknowledged differences between the government’s positioning paper and the original report of the Constitution Review Committee.
He said such disagreements are part of the process and maintained that the government has the right to modify proposals it initiated.
He stressed that the government does not have the final say on the constitutional amendments, noting that Parliament will decide on non-entrenched provisions while registered voters will determine the fate of entrenched provisions through a referendum.
