A former member of the Council of State, Reverend Dr. Nii Amo Darko has debunked assertions that members of the council are just “errand boys” for the President.
Majority Leader of Parliament, Alban Bagbin on Wednesday described the members of the council as mere “errand boys” for the president.
“I don’t support the current Council of State as presently structured and constituted, because it’s just an appendage of the executive arm, you will see often the members of the council of state acting as representative of the president at various functions,” Bagbin said while suggesting that the Council should be made a second Chamber.
But Speaking on Eye Witness News, Rev. Amo Darko disagreed and argued that members of the council play a pivotal role in advising the president on a number of issues affecting the development of the country.
[contextly_sidebar id=”2OXsi006MjyCVRPs6OCT8cSqqVt6TBvo”]But Rev Amo who is currently a member of the Governing Board of the National Peace Council (NPC), disagreed with Mr Bagbin saying “we are not an appendage, we are not errand boys.”
He added that “of course there have been occasions where council of state members have stood in the stead of the President; I believe that it is an honour. It doesn’t make him a member of the executive or an “errand boy.”
He said that the framers of the constitution in their own wisdom couched the Council and gave it a role of being an advisory unit which depicts our traditional setting where the president acts like a king and the council as advisers.
As to whether or not to make it a second chamber, Rev Darko said “that depends on all of us as a country.”
“Right now we are practicing both what is prevailing in the UK and also in the US. And therefore in the combination of it if we want a second chamber that has its own issues to deal with, but the wisdom in which the present council function I think it’s in order because even though the advice of the council is not binding on the president, the president knows the people he has chosen to be there and will not take lightly with their advice,” he indicated.
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By: Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/citifmonline.com/Ghana