Reduce president’s powers of appointing Special Assistants-Justice Dotse
He observed that the current state of the Presidential Office Act, 1993 (Act 463) gives the president too much laxity to do whatever he wants and wondered why no government since 2001 has questioned the constitutionality of the law.
A retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, Justice Jones Mawulorm Dotse has called for the reduction of the president’s powers of appointing Special Assistants under the Presidential Office Act, 1993 (Act 463).
He observed that the current state of the law gives the president too much laxity to do whatever he wants and wondered why no government since 2001 has questioned the constitutionality of the law.
He made these statements when he spoke as the Special Guest of Honor at the 6th Nathan Anan Quao Lecture and Excellence Awards organized by the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana(CLOGSAG).
Over the years, CLOGSAG in particular, and many stakeholders have questioned the Presidential Office Act, 1993 (Act 463), which was passed by a one-sided parliament at a time when the NPP caucus had boycotted the house in 1992, and the fact that it empowers various presidents to undermine its work by appointing presidential and special Assistants at the president’s will.
Therefore the retired Justice advised CLOGSAG to lobby relevant government agencies to cause a change to lessen the law’s burden on their operations.
On the constitutionality or otherwise of the law, Justice Dotse cautioned stakeholders to be guided by the apex court’s decision in the case of CLOGSAG v AG and 2 others and not be in haste to make any such pronouncement.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, Isaac Bampoe Addo maintained that the law is inimical to its outfit since it has and still impeding its growth and emphasized the need for the Act to be nullified.
