Several of the proposed amendments to the constitution of the New Patriotic Party have been rejected by an ad hoc committee established by the party to critically examine the said proposals.
The 10-member committee, chaired by the acting first Vice-Chairman of the party, Mr. F. F. Antoh, in its report to the National Council, recommended that a number of the proposals be approved by the party.
A number of the proposed amendments were also modified by the ad hoc Committee.
The report of the committee would be tabled in a form of motion before the Annual Delegates Conference of the party scheduled for December 17 in Kumasi.
Most of the proposals were rejected on the grounds that they were already contained in the constitution and had more to do with semantics than substance.
Some were rejected on the basis that they were not in line with the party’s tradition as they carried “revolutionary and socialistic undertones”.
The National Council of the party which received the report of the Committee at a meeting in Accra on November 28, 2017 endorsed same as the information document for the Kumasi conference.
The proposal for the aims and objectives of the party to be replaced with a single mission statement and an insertion of a vision were rejected.
According to the committee, the substance of the proposed amendment is already captured in various clauses under Article 2 of the constitution, adding Article 2 “is well-crafted and its structure should be maintained”.
Also a proposal that persons who join the party and are neither Founding Members nor Patrons and shall be described as Ordinary Members was rejected by the ad hoc committee since in its view, the word “Ordinary” has negative connotation.
Among the proposals recommended for approval were that a member of the NPP shall be disqualified from holding any office or contesting any election in the party if he or she owes allegiance to a country other than Ghana, has been declared bankrupt under any law in Ghana.
Also, a member who has been convicted and or sentenced by a court of high crime, treason, any offence punishable by death or by a sentence of not less than 10 years and any offence relating to public elections shall be disqualified from holding any office within the party and contesting election in the party.
Any member found by a report of a commission or committee of enquiry to either be incompetent to hold public office or have acquired assets unlawfully or defrauded the State or abused his office or acted against the interest of the State, shall not be allowed to hold any office or contest elections in the party.
According to the party, the proposed amendments are intended to ensure the smooth operation of the NPP Constitution, to avert unnecessary controversies, indiscipline and intractable litigation which have lately threatened to undermine the very existence of the party, as well as to make the provisions generally tidy.
By Stephen Kwabena Effah|3news.com|Ghana