Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Democratic Governance, IDEG Dr. Kwesi Jonah, says for the suspended referendum to amend article 55 (3), to have successfully gone through, it should have been pursued as a national project.
Explaining the importance to the amendment of the law, he said consensus should also have been reached between the two dominant political parties, the NDC and NPP. Dr. Jonah was speaking on “We the People”, a monthly local governance programme organised by the Ghana Journalists Association, GJA, in partnership with the STAR –GHANA Foundation, which discussed the suspended referendum to amend article 55(3) and lessons for Ghana. He noted campaigns on the exercise failed at the grassroots.
He added: “there was also the lack of coordination among institutions that championed the campaigns.”
Mr. Jonah was categorical that a YES vote would have minimised “the winner takes all” phenomenon being practiced, added it would have injected life into minority parties since they would have been able to make representation in governance.
He expressed optimism that the committee set up by the NDC would meet government to resolve all outstanding issues on the Referendum.
Story by Rachael Kakraba.
