NewzChairman of the Constitutional Review Committee, Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, has urged Ghana’s political leaders to approach constitutional and governance reforms from a long-term national perspective rather than through the lens of immediate partisan advantage. Professor Prempeh cautioned against the tendency of governments and opposition parties to assess reform proposals based on whether they stand to benefit politically at a particular point in time.
According to him, constitutional reforms should be designed to serve the enduring interests of the nation, recognising that political fortunes are constantly changing and that today’s governing party could easily become tomorrow’s opposition. “We must also know that elections have not always favoured the rich,” Professor Prempeh said. “Otherwise, incumbent governments in Africa would never lose power.” Professor Prempeh rejected the notion that access to state resources automatically guarantees electoral success, noting that history across Africa has repeatedly shown that incumbent governments can be defeated despite significant institutional and financial advantages.
He observed that sitting governments typically command substantial resources and influence, yet opposition parties have, on numerous occasions, succeeded in overcoming those advantages to secure electoral victory. “The resources available to incumbents in African democracies are enormous, and yet challengers have come from behind and won elections,” he noted. Professor Prempeh suggested that one of the greatest obstacles to meaningful constitutional reform is the tendency of political actors to evaluate proposed changes in light of their current political circumstances.
Speaking in an interview on Accra-based Woezor TV on Sunday, August 2, he explained that governing parties often support reforms they believe will reinforce the advantages of incumbency, while opposition parties frequently resist the same proposals for fear they could be placed at a disadvantage. According to him, this short-term approach undermines the development of durable constitutional arrangements that should serve all governments and citizens equally. “I think the reason why we tend to see governments in office always being the ones doing reform is that they think they are going to be the ones benefiting from incumbency,” he said.
“Then you have the opposition opposing b… Kwasi Prempeh, has cautioned Ghana’s political leaders against designing constitutional and governance reforms based on their current political fortunes. He argued that today’s governing party could easily become tomorrow’s opposition.
Speaking in an interview on Accra-based Woezor TV on Sunday, August 2, the constitutional law scholar said one of the greatest weaknesses in Ghana’s political culture is the tendency of parties to support or oppose reforms depending on whether they believe they stand to gain politically. According to him, constitutional reforms should be framed with future generations in mind rather than the immediate interests of governments or opposition parties. “What we need to do is look at reforms not from the vantage point of where we are sitting today or where we will be sitting tomorrow,” Professor Prempeh said.
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