Secretary to the Constitution Review Implementation Committee (CRIC), Oliver Barker-Vormawor, says the committee will not simply rubber-stamp government’s position on proposed constitutional reforms.

He says the 11-member committee has a technical mandate and will not determine which proposals should ultimately become law.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, Mr Barker-Vormawor said the committee’s role was to facilitate the political process and translate decisions reached through consensus.

“Our brief is clear. It was made clear to us that we are not another post-Prempeh committee tasked with taking policy positions. It’s not a policy body; it’s a technical body supposed to move along what the political process settles.”

He said the committee would have to consider the various position papers and stakeholders' views and communicate those positions to the government.

“We have to be able to relay that to government and say that this is what different stakeholders are saying. Are our instructions still firm, or are there movements around this?”

Mr Barker-Vormawor said the committee could also convene discussions among stakeholders to help build consensus around the reform agenda.

He stressed that the constitutional review process could not be driven through without broad agreement.

“You can’t have a process which you will bulldoze your way through. It requires constant conversations. It requires constant agreement and compromises along the way.”

He said the process must involve all relevant stakeholders because constitutional reform could not be the project of a single political party.

“So, this is not a, you know, a one-party project, you know? It has to be something that all the stakeholders agree as to the plan for reform.”

According to him, once consensus is reached, the committee’s drafting work and instructions would be adjusted to reflect that agreement.

But he was clear that the committee itself would not determine which proposals should be included in constitutional amendment bills.

“I want to emphasise that the key decision-making as to what proposals go and end up in the bills is beyond our pay grade. That’s not our decision to make.”

He said Parliament and political parties would ultimately provide the political direction for the work.

“We have elected members of Parliament for a reason. We have political parties that seek a mandate for reasons. They are the voices that will direct how our way of work will go. We are essentially clay in their hands.”

Mr Barker-Vormawor likened the committee’s role to that of a midwife, saying its responsibility was to deliver the process rather than determine its outcome.

“The midwife does not determine the sex of the baby, doesn’t determine the, you know, the colour of the baby. You just deliver the process.”

The CRIC was inaugurated by the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dominic Ayine, on August 28. It is chaired by Presidential Legal Counsel and former Attorney-General Marietta Agyeiwaa Brew.

The committee is tasked with examining government’s position paper alongside the report of the Constitution Review Committee chaired by Professor H. Kwesi Prempeh and developing a framework for implementing the proposals.

Its membership includes representatives from Parliament, local government and other relevant areas, with Mr Barker-Vormawor serving as Secretary.