The Team of the Constitutional Review Commission is in the Upper East Region to educate the people on the constitution and elicit their views and opinions on the operation of the constitution.
Mr Gabriel Scout Pwamang, a member of the Commission, at a public forum on Tuesday, entreated the public to take the exercise seriously by making concrete submissions to enable the Commission to produce credible report for advancement of constitutionalism in Ghana.
He pointed out that in the African and development country context, Ghana over the years had been adjudged the touch bearer in good governance and therefore there was the need to improve upon it and said that was why the review of the 1992 constitution has become critical to government.
Mr Pwamang entreated the people who could not submit their views at the forum to do that through the regional coordinating councils, municipal and district assemblies and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).
Mr. Clement Kojo Akapame, Council to the Commission, took members of the public through the forty-four issues concerning the 1992 Constitution they had earlier submitted including the Legislature, Executive, Judiciary and the Public Sector among others.
Participants at the forum stressed the need for the constitution to be reviewed to allow Municipal and District Chief Executives (DCEs) to be elected instead of being appointed.
They advocated that present and past assembly members should be encouraged to contest for the position of DCE since majority of them had worked with the assemblies and had acquired the needed skills and experience to serve the people.
The participants further indicated that the Attorney General's Department and the Ministry of Justice should be decoupled to ensure fair and proper administration of justice.
They expressed concern about the low remuneration of assembly members and said like Members of Parliament who enjoy better conditions of service including the ex-gratia award, assembly members should also be paid from the
Consolidated Fund The participants said this would attract more competent and experienced
persons to the assemblies for effective decentralization and development.
They said the four year term of office of the President should be maintained and that women should be given equal opportunities like their
male counterparts in governmental positions since they formed more than 50 per cent of the country's population.
Mr Alexis Ayamdor, a development worker with Ibis West Africa, a Non Governmental Organisation, indicated that there were many chief directors and other technocrats at the ministries who were more experienced and should
be allowed to operate instead of appointing more ministers.
He expressed concern about the way and manner the educational system in the country was being toyed with by the various governments and advocated for a blue print for all governments to follow.