Participants at a public forum on the on-going Constitution Review Process on Wednesday have called for more consultative approach and transparency in the process.

They claim that the entire review process faces a threat of being rejected by Ghanaians due to lack of education on the content of the Bill for the impending referendum on the entrenched positions identified for amendment.

They demanded that the process should be made clearer than it is now, while the Amendment Process for the entrenched provisions should be delayed to create space for more voices to be heard and open up avenues for parliament to play its legitimate role in the procedure.

To advance their cause, various speakers including Justice Emile Short, a former Boss of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, said it is critical that the people of Ghana are fully engaged in the amendment process.

He argued that the government White Paper does not reflect the true impute of the public as critical recommendations such entrenchment of a National Development Plan in the Constitution, and demand that the National Development Commission be made an independent body.

Justice Short said the appointment of the Constitution Review Implementation Commission by the government, to implement its White Paper, which is governments’ position on the recommendations of the Constitution Review Commission, does not reflect the people’s view and that was wrong.

The Forum which was organised by the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) was on the theme: “Taking the Process of Amending the 1992 Constitution Forward-A Legal Perspective”.

Professor Kofi Quashigah, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Dr Peter Atudiwe Atupare, a Lecturer of the Faculty of Law, both at of the University of Ghana, shared legal perspectives on the constitutional amendment process.

The two speakers interrogated the procedural and substantive issues including the timetable, the role of parliament in amending the entrenched provisions and the need for those provisions to address fundamental political and economic governance challenges facing the nation.

Prof Quashigah explained that per the interpretation of the amendment process, the amendment process is not closed by the submission of the advisory opinion by the Council of State to the Speaker and parliament could proceed with the gazetting of the Bill to provide the needed public notice and to lay the foundations for receiving views from the public.

Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, Executive Director of IDEG explained that the event follows the numerous public interest and debates among civil society organisations on the true character, meaning and scope of the constitution amendment process.

They are also asking questions especially on the issue of what the nation should do after the Speaker receives the advice of the Council of State.