AFC mulling more power for Leader of the Opposition
Written by Kwesi Isles
Thursday, 17 November 2011 20:17
Nigel Hughes
The Alliance For Change (AFC) says it is looking at giving the Leader of the Opposition the power to act in a situation where the president fails to do so as one of its proposed constitutional amendments should it get into office.
Executive member Nigel Hughes outlined this on Wednesday at the party’s weekly news conference where several other amendments were also listed.
“That is one that would empower the Leader of the Opposition to act in situations where the prime minister fails to act or refuses to act in certain constitutional matters,” Hughes said.
When asked in what scenario he envisioned there would be such a need the attorney-at-law used the example of legislation being assented to by the president long after it would have been passed by the National Assembly.
“If you have for example a situation where the president, as we’ve had with the Sexual Offences Bill, simply refuses to sign legislation that has been approved by the House, there will be a maximum period in which the president has to act and if the president fails to act in that situation once the legislation has satisfied all the requisite criteria, the Leader of the Opposition then by default could be empowered to act for the purposes of bringing the legislation that has been approved by the House into effect,” Hughes explained.
The party is proposing constitutional timelines for passed legislation to be put in place. Additionally, the AFC says it will establish a permanent parliamentary court which will deal with malfeasance in office by constitutional office holders.
“That court is actually going to be, we propose, peopled by professional judges, a bit like the ICJ in which they will be able to have their own investigations, they will be able to command the police and other investigative arms to conduct investigations,” Hughes said.
That court, he added, would have the power to convict offenders.
Another amendment on the AFC’s list is the opposition favourite, the removal of the executive presidency making the prime minister the head of government with the addition of a bicameral legislature. According to Hughes, under an AFC government neither the prime minister nor the titular president will be immune from lawsuits, though he did state that the amendment would ensure that such suits may be dealt with after they leave office so as not to interfere with the running of the government.
They also plan to do away with the winner-take-all Westminster style of government in favour of constituencies with greater representation at the regional level.
Hughes said a constitutional review body would be set up within the first year the AFC takes office and will include members of all the political parties and civil society. That body, he added, would undertake a comprehensive review of the entire constitution to identify the areas which have presented challenges.
Written by Kwesi Isles
Thursday, 17 November 2011 20:17
Nigel Hughes
The Alliance For Change (AFC) says it is looking at giving the Leader of the Opposition the power to act in a situation where the president fails to do so as one of its proposed constitutional amendments should it get into office.
Executive member Nigel Hughes outlined this on Wednesday at the party’s weekly news conference where several other amendments were also listed.
“That is one that would empower the Leader of the Opposition to act in situations where the prime minister fails to act or refuses to act in certain constitutional matters,” Hughes said.
When asked in what scenario he envisioned there would be such a need the attorney-at-law used the example of legislation being assented to by the president long after it would have been passed by the National Assembly.
“If you have for example a situation where the president, as we’ve had with the Sexual Offences Bill, simply refuses to sign legislation that has been approved by the House, there will be a maximum period in which the president has to act and if the president fails to act in that situation once the legislation has satisfied all the requisite criteria, the Leader of the Opposition then by default could be empowered to act for the purposes of bringing the legislation that has been approved by the House into effect,” Hughes explained.
The party is proposing constitutional timelines for passed legislation to be put in place. Additionally, the AFC says it will establish a permanent parliamentary court which will deal with malfeasance in office by constitutional office holders.
“That court is actually going to be, we propose, peopled by professional judges, a bit like the ICJ in which they will be able to have their own investigations, they will be able to command the police and other investigative arms to conduct investigations,” Hughes said.
That court, he added, would have the power to convict offenders.
Another amendment on the AFC’s list is the opposition favourite, the removal of the executive presidency making the prime minister the head of government with the addition of a bicameral legislature. According to Hughes, under an AFC government neither the prime minister nor the titular president will be immune from lawsuits, though he did state that the amendment would ensure that such suits may be dealt with after they leave office so as not to interfere with the running of the government.
They also plan to do away with the winner-take-all Westminster style of government in favour of constituencies with greater representation at the regional level.
Hughes said a constitutional review body would be set up within the first year the AFC takes office and will include members of all the political parties and civil society. That body, he added, would undertake a comprehensive review of the entire constitution to identify the areas which have presented challenges.
