Sponsor of the Anti-LGBT bill, Sam George, says President Akufo-Addo is behaving like an imperialist.
He made this accusation following the President’s refusal to assent to three private members’ bills claiming they place a charge on the Consolidated Fund.
In a letter from the Presidency, Akufo-Addo stated that any bill that places a charge on the Consolidated Fund must be sponsored by his outfit or must be placed before the house on his behalf.
Thus, while he agrees with the three bills that have been passed by Parliament, he is unable to assent to them.
Reacting to the President’s statement, Sam George whose private members bill is also under threat, said the President has arrogated the powers of the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary to himself.
“The framers of the 1992 constitution had a certain intention. When you read the spirit and letter of the law they intended for us to have separation of powers. Now the principle of separation of powers is clear that ultimately parliament is the lawmaking organ in the architecture of the state.
“The executive led by the president is the implementing organ of legislation. They don’t make legislation, they implement. The judiciary is the interpretation body when there are disputes on legislation.
“Now what you have, with the letter the president wrote is that the president is acting as an executive president acting as the head of the legislature and actually arrogating to himself the powers of the judiciary. Because the president is being asked to implement a law parliament has passed, a private members’ bill that the constitution says the person presiding will determine if it passes,” he said.
He stated that the President has misinterpreted the law about the passage of bills and has thus erred by not assenting to the bills.
“Now the president chose to preside over parliament and say that the person who presided and approved it erred. That power does not belong to the president; the president says that he will want to introduce the law himself even though he agrees with everything it must be introduced by him.
“I mean, if the president has slept on the job for 7 years and a private member has brought the law which serves the purposes of the country, the president wants to save face and say I brought it? Then the president goes further in his letter to actually do interpretation of the constitution which is the preserve of the chief justice, the judiciary and the Supreme Court.
“The supreme court is the only mandated body to interpret the law. So you have a president who is not just behaving like an executive president, but behaving like an imperialist president, a monarchy where the king gives the law, interprets the law to suit himself and passes judgment,” he said.
Source: myjoyonline.com
