GHANA’S TRANSITION TO CONSTITUTIONAL RULE ©tMveAsrry of Ghana Ghana’s Transition to Constitutional Rule ID S GHANA’S TRANSITION TO CONSTITUTIONAL RULE Proceedings of a Seminar Organised by the Department of Political Science, University of Ghana, Legon Edited by KWAME A. NINSIN and FRANCIS K. DRAH INSTITUTE OF DtVELOPMENTT STUDIES LIBRARY GHANA UNIVERSITIES PRESS ACCRA 1991 Publisher Ghana Universities Press P. O. Box 4219 Accra - Ghana © Department of Political Science, Legon 1991 ISBN 9964 - 3 - 0199 -5 PRODUCED IN GHANA Typeset at Waayo Computer Services Centre, Accra Printed at Assemblies of God Literature Centre, Accra CONTENTS Preface..................................................................................................ix Part I: The Political Past - A Review 1. DECOLONISATION AND INDEPENDENCE: THE PROBLEMS OF NATION-BUILDING (Yaw M a n u ).................3 Introduction : .............................................................................. 3 Post-War Nationalism in the Gold Coast....................................... 4 The Crisis of Identity and of Integration ....................................... 5 Political Development - Nation-Building under the Nkrumah Regime........................................................................6 Conclusions ........................................................................................ 8 2. PARTY AND NO-PARTY POLITICS IN A CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER (Mike Oquaye) Introduction...................................................................................... 11 Critique of the Argument against Multi-Party Politics...............12 Further Argument in Favour of Party Politics............................. 18 C onclusion........................................................................................ 19 3. ONE PARTY AND MILITARY REGIMES (KwameA. Ninsin) ..............................................................................21 Introduction...................................................................................... 21 The Premise of Politics....................................................................21 The One-Party Regime and the Limits of Freedom ...................23 Military Regimes and the End of Politics ...................................24 The PNDC and Politics ............................................................26 Conclusions and Recommendations............................................. 28 PART IIs The Consultative Process - Tensions and Constraints 4. TENSIONS IN GHANA’S TRANSITION TO CONSTITUTIONAL RULE (E. Gyimah-Boadi) .........................35 Introduction...................................................................................... 35 A Hesitant Government..................................................................36 Tensions in the Process ................................................................3 / Foot Dragging.................................................................................. 37 The Impartial Transition ................................................................38 Politics of A ltruism ..........................................................................39 C onclusion........................................................................................ 40 5. PRELUDE TO CONSTITUTIONAL RULE: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE PROCESS (Kwame Boafo-Arthur) ........................................................................ Introduction...................................................................................... 41 Dilemmas of the Constitution........................................................42 The Regional Seminars ..................................................................45 Towards a New Constitution..........................................................48 Conclusion........................................................................................ 49 6. THE POLITICS OF GHANA’S SEARCH FOR A DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER 1957-1991 (A. Essuman-Johnson)......................................................51 The Colonial Legacy........................................................................51 The Search: A Periodisation..........................................................52 The Second Search ..........................................................................54 The Third Search ............................................................................ 55 The NCD Report and Government Reaction.............................56 C onclusion........................................................................................ 58 7. OBSTACLES TO AN ORDERLY TRANSITION TO CONSTITUTIONAL RULE UNDER THE PNDC (Gilbert K. Bluwey) Introduction...................................................................................... 60 Preparation to Succeed Self............................................................61 Politics of Self-Preservation............................................................63 Conclusion and Recommendation ................................................64 Part III: Past Documents, Texts and Experiences as a Model 8. A DEVELOPMENT-ORIENTED’ CONSTITUTION? (/. S. Pepera) ........................................................................................ 69 Introduction...................................................................................... 69 A ‘Development - Oriented’ Constitution?................................. 69 Looking Back and Looking Forw ard .............. 72 Back to the ‘Development-Oriented’ Constitution.....................75 Some Preliminary Recommendation .............. 76 9. THE MONOPOLISATION AND MANIPULATION OF THE CONSTITUTION-MAKING PROCESS IN GHANA (Kwesi Jo n a h )........................................................................................ 77 Introduction...................................................................................... 77 Confiictual Origins ..........................................................................78 The Constitution-Making Process ............................................... 78 Techniques of Manipulation..........................................................79 Conclusion and Recommendation ............................................... 82 10. THE DISTRICT ASSEMBLIES, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PARTICIPATION (Joseph R A . A ye e).................................84 Introduction...................................................................................... 84 The Concept of Local Government ............................................. 85 The Concept of Participation ........................................................86 Local Government and Popular Participation: Myth or Reality ............................... 87 Local Government and Political Education ...............................88 Local Government as a Training Ground for Political L eadership........................................................................................89 Local Government and Political Stability ...................................90 C onclusion........................................................................................91 PART IV: Towards a Democratic Order 11. CONSTITUTIONALISM AND THE RULE OF LAW: THE BEDROCK OF CONSTITUTIONAL RULE (F.K. D ra h )............................................................................................ 97 Introduction......................................................................................97 The Meaning of Constitution..........................................................97 The Meaning of Constitutionalism............................................... 98 Constitutional Limitation and Constitutional Criticism 99 Devices of Constitutionalism........................................................100 The Rule of L aw ............................................................................ 101 Some Suggestions .......................................................................... 102 Conclusion...................................................................................... 108 12. A PESSIMISTIC VIEW OF THE SPLIT EXECUTIVE PROPOSED FOR GHANA’S FOURTH REPUBLIC (Amos Anyimadu).............................................................................. I l l Introduction.................................................................................... I l l The NCD-PNDC Recommendations on the Executive Ill Ghana’s Experience ...................................................................... 113 The French Example .................................................................... 114 The Cost of Split Executive.......................................................... 114 Conclusion...................................................................................... 116 13. SAFEGUARDING HUMAN RIGHTS IN GHANA’S FOURTH REPUBLIC (Kumi-Ansah-Koi) ................................. 117 Introduction.....................................................................................117 Historical Review .......................................................................... 117 Safeguarding Human Rights in Ghana’s Fourth Republic .. .120 Constitutional and Institutional Proposals................................. 120 Statutory Requirements................................................................ 121 Public Education............................................................................ 121 External Relations.......................................................................... 122 List o f Contributors 124 PREFACE