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We need a new constitution — Rt Rev. Prof. Sarfo-Kantanka
We need a new constitution — Rt Rev. Prof. Sarfo-Kantanka

We need a new constitution — Rt Rev. Prof. Sarfo-Kantanka

A Former Methodist Bishop of Kumasi, the Rt Rev. Prof. Osei Sarfo Kantanka, has advocated a change in the governance system of the country as part of the process of eradicating poverty.

He said there was the need for a complete overhaul of the Constitution as the current one would not be able to solve the problems facing the country.

According to him, the current practice of the ‘winner-takes-all’ system of governance, which gives too much power to the president, was inimical to growth.

Review

Speaking at the launch of his book titled: ‘Who owns the land and who rules land?’ in Kumasi on September 21, 2021, Prof. Sarfo-Kantanka said after a careful view of the poverty issues and the governance system, “you cannot help but come to the conclusion that there are so many things with our constitution which are not right. And we need to take a whole look at it. People talk about entrenched provisions; who put the laws to be entrenched?” he queried.

According to him, it should be possible for all the entrenched laws in the Constitution to be amended without going through all the rigorous processes.

Land sales

He said the traditional rulers who owned most of the lands in Ghana disposed of them as if they were their personal properties without accounting to anyone.

He said chiefs who sold lands should be made to pay tax on them and also use part of the proceeds for community development.

“The land belongs to all of us, except that wherever you have a group of people, somebody must be a leader so a chief is a leader but it does not mean the land belongs to him or her,” he stated

The book

The book, which he said was inspired by the Holy Spirit, was to “open our eyes to the fundamental issues about governance which is enabling us to overcome our poverty.”

He said it was also to enlighten Ghanaians and “our politicians. Those in governance must also know that we have not given them power to enrich themselves and make them comfortable but use that power to solve problems.”

He said if there were issues of poverty in the country and the political parties kept blaming one another then “we must get angry enough to challenge the status quo. The book is only to open our eyes to the fundamental issues about governance which is not enabling us to overcome our poverty.”

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