Former president Jerry John Rawlings has called for the revision of the processes leading to the composition of the membership of the Council of State.
“We must ensure that the processes for pre-qualifying, electing and appointing these members are tightened-up,” he said.
“In the traditional system, an elder who misbehaved was expected in the past to commit suicide but honorably. Now that such methods of social control are absent we must ensure that the criteria of becoming a member of the Council of State is upped and the citizenry should be vigilante and hold the members accountable for their actions and omissions,” he added.
He argued per the role of the Council, its membership are expected to be honorable, courageous, truthful and patriotic but “unfortunately some members of the Council of State over the years have not quite possess these qualities.”
He was speaking at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) on the role of the Council of State as part of the Accra Dialogue event Wednesday, August 16, 2017.
According to him, the Council plays a critical role in the development of the country, saying it is “not one of the institutions in the 1992 constitution of Ghana that should be abolished.”
On his part, former President John Agyekum Kufuor renewed his call for constitutional changes to make the council the country’s second legislative House.
“Left to me the Council of State should be turned into the second house”, he said, adding the council’s current status as just an advisory body robs the country of the public contribution of well-meaning and accomplished citizens.
