It’s not good enough to appoint ministers from parliament – Kufuor

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor says the provision in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana that allows the elected President to appoint half of his ministers from Parliament is not good enough.

According to him, the nature of governance and power provides that there is a checks and balance system which allows the three arms

Read full articleof government to have an oversight responsibility over each other.

“The executive has his hands full, formulating policies, getting approval from Parliament, implementing and hold the entire society to live together in law and order. So why should a minister, who is part of the executive, be also saddled with the job of overseeing the work of the executive?” he quizzed.

The former President told Kwaku Sakyi-Addo on rhis week's edition of his Sunday Night programme that, when this happens, it gives room for contradictions with the Constitutions.

“I am truly for strict separation of powers. So, that bit of the Constitution if I have my way, I will amend it to have the executive on one side, legislature the other side,” he said.

J.A. Kufuor noted that his preference of a Constitution for Ghana would be the 1979 Constitution which gave room for strict separation of powers.

He said the local governance system in Ghana, however, gives room for the electorate to demand accountability and transparency.

“The slogan for a proper local governance system is from cradle to grave,” he said.

He added that the Central government has always been too far from the ordinary people living in the hinterlands, so the MCE or DCE should be able to be elected by the people within the District or the Metropolitan Assemblies with Assembly Members becoming the legislature for the Assemblies.

Mr Kufuor however believes that the Central government should have a say in the selection process of the MMDCEs.

He indicated that within the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, the people know where one belongs to therefore one cannot become an MMDCE when your party is not in power.

“We should do away with that hypocrisy and let the parties work. If the majority of the locality is for party A, let them do it but the Central government influence should be there to ensure that government has a say and wherever government is sending revenues to empower locality to run efficiently, then such government should have the right to demand accountability of the local governance,” he said.