The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has emphasised the need for a transformation and fixing of the 1992 Constitution.
Citing sections from Afrobarometer's 2024 report, Bagbin noted that a significant number of Ghanaian youth are becoming disillusioned with democracy, expressing concern about the trend and its potential threats to the country.
Speaking at the University of Ghana Alumni Lecture on Thursday, September, 19, the Speaker said the fixing of the defects of the constitution is long overdue and must be approached urgently. "I venture to submit that the focus of the brain behind the structure of this constitution was to achieve political stability.
If my guess is right, I must admit we have succeeded in living that statute at the expense of development.
We now have to move on to focus on development.
I don't need to call on you, that is very urgent for us to take our constitutional transformation. "I agree with Ghanaians who say there is nothing to look for.
We have to transform everything.
This constitution has many defects and the time to fix those defects has been long overdue." He also expressed concerns about the growing monetisation of Ghana's political landscape noting that while money may not be the sole factor determining electoral success, it often favours individuals with greater financial muscle.
In his view, Ghana's democracy is gradually turning into an auction, where the highest bidder wins, thereby discouraging those who cannot afford to compete. "Research studies by CDD Ghana showed that it costs approximately 100 million dollars and $693,000 to effectively fund presidential and parliamentary campaigns, respectively.
As a former MP, I can see without a shadow of doubt that this is an understatement."