According to him, the Council in its current state has been overly messed up by its composition, something that, he stated, has affected its independence and neutrality.
Speaking to Accra-based JoyNews, the former member of the Council of State, said the members of the Council appear to be endorsing anything that comes to them because they are appointed by the President.
“Council of State is a nice proposition that has been messed up by the composition. If it can be made to meet the expectation of the framers of our Constitution, it can be a good addition to the various organs and institutions of the state.
“But the composition of the Council, the number of members that are appointed by the President leaves a lot to be desired. You want a Council that is strong, that is independent in thought and in action, and that can give the right advice to those who need that advice as opposed to nearly endorsing what comes before them,” the former President of the National House of Chiefs said.
Many including some academics and some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are calling for the scrapping of the Council of State.
Prof Baffuor Agyeman-Duah, a governance analyst, has also added his voice to it stating that the advisory role it plays is somewhat redundant.
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“What is the real mandate of the Council? In essence, to provide advice to the President; and as the Constitution requires, certain nominees of the President should go to the Council for ratification, so to speak. These are the two key functions.
“Take the advice, a President of this Republic can invite anybody out of the 33 million people we have for advice. So, having a body constituted with a whole bureaucracy and secretariat maintained over years just to provide you advice, I’m kind of curious about that,” the former Senior United Nations Governance Advisor stressed.
To Togbe Afede XIV, reforming how the Council is composed could be more beneficial than a total scrap.
TWI NEWS
