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IEA
to lead discussion on Presidential Transition
Accra, June 10, Ghandot/GNA – The Institute of Economic
Affairs (IEA Ghana), a public policy institute, on Tuesday
called for discussion on a presidential transitional
arrangement, as the nation prepares for another political
transfer of power in January 2009.
The Institute said: “The rancorous nature of the handing
over process from the administration of the National
Democratic Congress to that of the New Patriotic Party in
2001 resulted in the development of deep seated animosity
between the two parties up to the present time.”
“That unfortunate state of affairs demands that as a country
we put in place, now, and for the future, a mechanism that,
it is hoped, will induce some measure of accommodation and
co-operation,” IEA Ghana stated in a document made available
to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.
The IEA Ghana and the Ghana Political Parties Programme have
therefore proposed a President Succession Arrangements Bill
which seeks to establish the arrangements for the political
transfer of administration from one democratically elected
President to another.
Mrs. Jean Mensa, IEA Ghana Administrator, told the GNA that
the Bill also sought to create a more harmonious transfer of
the reins of government from one administration to another
in a manner that would not introduce needless strain between
the winner and the loser.
“It will help forge national reconciliation, lower the
political tension and promote inter-party co-operation. The
2001 experience provides lessons and a compelling reason for
the country to rise up and clean her act of political
transfer of the reins of government.”
Mrs. Mensa recounted the nation’s mixed experiences in the
effort to establish a multi-party democracy as
post-independent Ghana went through a brief period of
multi-party democracy.
“After that, a one-party political system was launched. In
both instances, neither the Constitution nor an Act of
Parliament provided for the formal political arrangements
for the transfer of the reins of government.
“Between the post-Nkrumah era and the Fourth Republic, the
democratically elected governments did not survive their
full tenure. The Governments were removed from office
through coups d’états.”
She said in the same vein, the tenure of the respective
Parliaments were terminated undemocratically; the results
were that both the Executive and the Legislature did not
have the opportunity to undergo changes through established
democratic processes.
“Since January 7, 1993, Ghana can be said to have succeeded
in establishing a functional multi-party democracy. It is
steadily gaining roots. And this concept that ‘governments
go and come’ and that they will continue to change through
elections has gained wide acceptance.
“The stability achieved in the practice of multi-party
democracy, over the past 16 years, during which time a
sitting Government was changed peacefully, has made it
compelling for the country to find ways for further
improving the process associated with the chosen multi-party
democracy governance system by regulating by law the shared
experience of arrangements for the transfer of the reins of
Government.”
Mrs. Mensa said this historical experience should serve as a
major incentive for getting the co-operation of all
regarding the political transfer of the reins of government
to avoid the pain, frustrations, rancour and arbitraries
that characterised the first and only real political
transfer process in 2001.
It noted that in January 1997, Ghana experienced her first
political transfer of the reins of government under the
Fourth Republican Constitution. That transfer was, however,
not remarkable since it was a transfer from the same party,
the National Democratic Congress to the National Democratic
Congress, and from President J.J. Rawlings to President J.J.
Rawlings.
The transfer in 2005 was of a similar nature - from the
National Patriotic Party to the National Patriotic Party;
from President John Agyekum Kufuor to President John Agyekum
Kufuor for the second four-year term of office.
Mrs. Mensa noted that the transfer in January 2001 of the
reins of government from the National Democratic Congress
administration to the administration of the New Patriotic
Party presented the real challenge.
“That experience exposed the problems, human and political.
That experience was profound and remarkable in many
respects.
It presented learning and
reforms opportunities that the Bill now seeks to address. On
1st January 2001, the Joint Transitional Team was
inaugurated by the out-going Vice-President and the defeated
Presidential candidate. The person elected as President
co-chaired the Joint Transitional Team.
“The transitional period was effectively 1st January to 6th
January; rancour and acrimony, rather than co-operation,
were what the process produced.”
Mrs Mensa said the euphoria of victory and the
disappointment of losing brought about some form of
unpleasantness and discord in the work of the Team and
conflicting postures introduced irritation on both sides.
She said the ill-will developed during the vicious and
acrimonious political campaign period insidiously wormed its
way into the work of the Team and denied it the much needed
co-operation and good-will and the absence of established
procedures resulted in the use of discretion by a discordant
and fragmented Team.
Mrs. Mensa said the objective of a smooth political transfer
of the reins of government in a multi-party democratic
system was to deliver to the people some grounds for
strategic and principled continuity.
It also provided a fair measure of political accommodation
and congenial environment for the public good which enabled
the public services to function without undue party
political pressures.
“These benefits were lost as civil and public servants were
drawn into the conflicts between the contending political
parties involved in the transfer. Instructions given to
public servants in the handling of the affairs of out-going
officials may have, sometimes, offended the perception of
the public servants as to what is fair, decent and
acceptable in some cases. This trend must not be allowed to
continue.”
Mrs Mensa said the review of the 2001 arrangements thus
provided valuable lessons for the design of a
well-structured arrangement for the future transfer of the
reins of government which would avoid the negative
experiences that characterised the 2001 episode.
The proposed Bill focuses on the location of responsibility;
the processes and procedures; conflict resolution; Period
for the transfer; Statutory welfare and protocol provisions
for other officials; security during transfer; inventory and
stock-taking and archival storage of handing over reports.
Others are the Succession Council; the functions of the
Council, meetings of the Council, Co-option of members
Committees, Funds of the Council, Meetings with Presidents,
Handing over notes, Availability of handing over notes,
Media briefings, Inventory of assets, Election of Speaker
and Swearing in of President.
GNA
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