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| Relocate Parliament, Supreme Court, Ministries |
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| Posted on: 2007-Jan-05 GNA |
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Ghanaians are preparing to celebrate 50 years of Independence. Celebrating a significant milestone is good. Even better is reflecting over progress made and hindrances encountered over the 50 year period. And better still - i.e., best of all – is to plan for the next 50 years and beyond.
It will be appropriate, I believe, for Government to paint a grand picture of Ghana for the next 50 years and share its vision with Ghanaians.
May I respectfully suggest for consideration by the policy-makers and the country as a whole the following structural or strategic measures.
1. Parliament should be relocated to a more centrally-located area, an area easily accessible to all Parliamentarians, and with considerable potential for infrastructural development. Sunyani will be a suitable location for a relocated Parliament.
2. The Supreme Court should also be relocated to Kumasi, Ghana's second city and also a city quite centrally located.
It will not be unduly burdensome to accommodate 9 to 13 Supreme Court Judges and the requisite administrative personnel.
In South Africa, the executive seat is in one city; Parliament is in another; and the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Courts are in yet others. This has contributed to a more even development of that country. In Ghana"s case too, there will be more separation of powers and checks and balances, as well as the geographical diffusion of state machinery.
3. The Presidency should remain in Accra, but Ministries should be distributed the country over. Indeed every Regional Capital should have at least one Ministry. Cape Coast, for example, will be the ideal seat for the Ministries of Education and of Tourism. Sekondi, will be suitable for the Ministry of Ministries responsible for Mines, Forestry and/or Environment, Tamale could have the Ministry of Interior or of Culture, and Ho the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Province of Ontario of the Dominion of Canada has Ministries spread all over the Province. This decentralisation has served the Province and the Dominion very well. The model proposed is less radical, less expensive and less cumbersome than developing a new capital city as has done for Nigeria, Tanzania and Malawi.
4. Mayors, District, Municipal and Metropolitan Chief Executives should be directly elected by voters in their districts, municipalities or metropolitan areas.
This way, their allegiance and service is solely towards the peoples of the districts, municipalities or metropolitan areas, and not to the President, Regional Minister and the Minister responsible for Local Government and Rural Development.
Regional and District capitals, as well as the entire country, and not only the national capital, all require to be modernised. Sekondi and Cape Coast, for example, colonial-era metropoles, have become sorry sites. Centralisation of local government is an oxymoron and it has not served Ghana well. Its time to move to a new model: of electing all key officers of local government and holding them directly accountable to their electorate.
5. The 1992 Constitution must be reviewed. There are numerous provisions which, in my view, call for amendment. As happened recently in Nigeria, the Government should boldly subject the constitution to review and necessary amendment.
In conclusion, bold politico-legal steps have to be taken in connection with governance for the next 50 years and beyond.
P E Bondzi-Simpson
Barrister-at-Law
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