Larry Bimi sets record straight

Page 17, Jan 20, 2010
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Chairman of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr Laary Bimi, has called for more time before the amendment of the 1992 Constitution.
“The 1992 Constitution is still very young. We should tarry a little and allow time and many more governments and persons to operate with it before we begin to undertake major amendments to it,” he explained.
In a letter to the Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Bimi stated that since the Constitution had not even undergone one “generational cycle”, it might be too early to be thinking of structural amendment to the document.
The letter was apparently to set the record straight and make his position clear on the Constitutional Review Commission which has been established to seek views on the amendment of certain portions of the Constitution.
He explained that he had been compelled to come out to set the record straight because of the furore that had been generated after he had been interviewed on the issue on the Joy FM’s Newsnight on January 14, 2010.
Mr Bimi added that if there were any fissures and operational difficulties, they could be traceable to the human factor and not the Constitution.
He explained that these difficulties could be left to the Supreme Court to, by way of their rulings and judgements, develop a body of constitutions, laws and conventions for the country.
Mr Bimi argued that what was needed in the country’s political and constitutional development, especially from its leaders, was restraint.
“Our political leaders have to internalise the culture of tolerance with natural morality underpinning what they do under the Constitution,” he said.
He explained that during the interview with Joy FM, he referred to the absence of an upper limit to the composition of the Supreme Court and cited the case of Mr Tsatsu Tsikata and said if the executive had restrained itself and not taken steps to reverse the ruling, a huge step would have been taken in concretising a constitutional convention.
Mr Bimi stated that his position notwithstanding, if there was overwhelming evidence that Ghanaians wanted the 1992 Constitution to undergo some amendment “who am I to stand the way of the people”.
In that regard, the NCCE boss explained that the amendment could be done by the Executive and Parliament in the case of ordinary articles.
In the case of entrenched articles, Mr Bimi stated, there was the need for the people to be sufficiently informed, consulted and involved through the district assemblies and other identifiable bodies for the ultimately reviewed Constitution to have legitimacy.