A Catholic Priest has advocated the extension of retirement age for Supreme Court (SC) Judges, as the 2025 Constitution Review Committee (CRC) upscales public engagement on the constitutional reforms.
The Reverend Father Joseph Domfeh, the Administrator of Christ the King Cathedral in Sunyani, recommended that the retirement age of the SC Judges ought to be extended from the current 70 to 80 years.
He also called for a reduction in the number of Members of Parliament (MPs), describing the current size of the legislature as excessive, when he shared his views at the Ninth Zonal Public Engagement organized by the CRC in Sunyani.
Rev Fr Domfeh also suggested the need for the nation to make reforms on the Freedom of Expression to stem abuse.
Other participants who spoke during the open forum also called for reforms on the Article 71 office holders.
They also suggested the need to strengthen and adequately resource National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Electoral Commission (EC) and the Commission on Human Rights Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Judiciary.
According to them an independent committee ought to be set up to oversee the appointment of the leadership of those public institutions, instead of the President.
Earlier, Professor Kwame Karikari, a member of the CRC, urged an active citizen’s participation in the review process, saying that it was imperative for Ghanaians to actively get themselves involved in ensuring that the constitution “becomes a more effective instrument for progress and national development”.
He said the contributions of citizens were required in the reform process and to make the “1992 Constitution cleaner and more responsive to meet the needs of the people, ” adding that “It’s the responsibility of citizens to hold politicians accountable by ensuring that they do what they have been voted to do”.
Prof Karikari explained that the CRC was established by the President, saying “our powers end with our report which will be presented to the government and what happens thereafter is not in our hands”.
He pledged the committee’s commitment to capture and carry the views and aspirations of the government, saying “once our report is published it will be up to citizens to ensure that recommendations are implemented by demanding accountability from the government”.