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General News of Sunday, February 17, 2019
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2019-02-17
Eric Oduro Osae, governance expert
Dr. Eric Oduro Osae, expert in governance, wants a legal framework created to guide the selection of regional capitals.
He said that something had to be done about the situation where the law allowed the president to create new regions but clearly did not stipulate where capitals should be located.
"What concerns me is the constitutional void in which we do not have a legal framework that will guide us by highlighting the different criteria or indicators to be taken into account in determining a regional capital.
"By the time he is loose, you let the president decide where he should go while when it comes to creating the region proper, the law clearly defines what we need to do, "he told Joy News. Newsfile.
Dr. Osae was responding to the violence that erupted in Salaga after the president announced that Damongo would be the capital of the new Savannah region.
The young people of Salaga, protesting against their non-selection, set fire to the office of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), demanding that President Akufo-Addo act in their place.
They argue that the residents of South Salaga have trusted the NPP by voting for their parliamentary candidate, Salifu Adam Braimah, as MP.
According to them, the choice of Damongo, who voted for NDC candidate Adam Mutawakilu, does not reward people's trust in the NPP.
The roof, refrigerators, windows, satellite dish and computers are among the many damages caused by the fire.
The 1992 Constitution provides the legal framework that serves as a basis for regional reorganization and the creation of new ones. Article 5 (1) provides that the President may, by constitutional instrument:
• Create a new region
• change the boundaries of a region or
• provide for the merger of two or more regions.
Clause 2 of the same article states that "if the President, upon submission of a petition and on the advice of the State Council, is satisfied that there is a significant demand for:
• the creation of a new region;
• the modification of the boundaries of a region, whether or not it involves the creation of a new region; or
• The merger of two or more regions
President Akufo-Addo signed the Constitutional Instrument (CI116) to give effect to the creation of the Savannah region
Mr. Osae thought that if there had been a constitutional principle governing how selection should be carried out, the violence would not have been witnessed.
"Let's go ahead with a framework that will guide us to the fact that if you want to establish a regional capital in a new region, you have to take these factors into account.
"If we have clear indicators documented and we do the mapping and tell people that these are the indicators; "Salaga, Dambai, Kete Krachie and Jasikan, it's Dambai who responded to the indicators, so we gave it to them" … it's fair and objective, no one will complain, "he said.
Dr. Osae, who is also a lawyer, said that while the chair deserves discretionary powers, he should be guided to make everyone happy.
Angela Dwamena-Aboagye, Executive Director of the Ark Foundation, alongside her fellow lawyer.
She believes that while not everything can be legislated, it is okay and perhaps even easier to deal with some projects if there is a guide on how to proceed.
"It's easier for people to understand why you came to this decision. So it's a good thing, "she said.
Dwamena-Aboagye, however, is not satisfied with Ghana's formulation of development, which it considers too focused on the development of physical infrastructure.
This is one of the reasons why people are fighting for "this little space in our space, because we will immediately see a building supposed to be the administrative building, we will see more offices and offices done and so right now.
"If we understand that development goes beyond the physical infrastructure, that will really help in some of those agitations."
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