A resident of the Ga-Dangme community in Accra, has proposed to the Constitution Review Commission to amend the Constitution and make the presidency rotational. Mr Seth Tagoe was unhappy that no Ga-Dangme has ever been Ghana’s president and is therefore advocating for a rotation of the presidency on ethnic basis to introduce equity at the presidency. He believes the current system is unfair as it makes some dominant ethnic groups enjoy hegemony over others in the country. “You can see that in our community, a certain group of people are rising to certain levels and the other groups are always going down like my ethnic group for instance, we are always going down. You don’t see us at the higher level, no president, no vice-president,” he lamented. What will be the benefits of his proposal, the Executive Secretary of the CRC, Dr Raymond Atuguba asked him, to which he responded, “I believe that if I am the president, being a Ga…I [will] look at a certain angle, helping certain people.” “I think the Constitution must speak for those people who cannot speak [for themselves.]” Mr Tagoe also accused the CRC of being ethnically unbalanced. But that attracted a rebuttal from the Chairman of the CRC, Prof Albert Fiadjoe who reminded Mr Tagoe that Ms Jean Mensah is a Ga-Dangme and that the ethnic groups on whose behalf he purported to be speaking were represented on the Commission. “But I don’t want to drive the ethnic point,” Prof Fiadjoe said, “I think the point you are making is one of the opportunity to be empowered and I understand your submissions in that light.” Having said that, the Chairman, maintained that the submissions were inconsistent with the letter and spirit of the Constitution, “and therefore this Commission cannot accept your submissions.” Still at the forum, broadcast journalists Paul Adom Otchere proposed that Parliament should be empowered to haul the president before the House to answer questions on critical issues in the country. He asked that Articles 2 (57) and (69) of the constitution be modified to allow the President to become an ex-officio member of Parliament and submit himself to questions to enable the electorate know what the President is thinking about on critical national matters. Mr Adom Otchere rejected suggestions from some Commission members that the Question Time for ministers – who are representatives of the president - in parliament made the president somewhat answerable to the House. Quoting from Article 58 of the 1992 Constitution, the talk show host said “My reading of Article 58 suggest to me that in exercise of executive authority, the president does not share with anybody and all ministers serve at the behest of the president. What it means is that whereas we have ministers’ question time before Parliament, a minister may appear and parry a question by saying that it is the decision of the president and that is where the matter ends because one cannot hold the minister accountable to the actions of a president.” Commission Chair Prof Albert Fiadjoe said the recommendation would be examined. Play the attached audio and listen to Seth Tagoe and Prof Fiadjoe. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana