FOR the first time since the constitution review process began, a principal officer of the National Assembly has admitted that the process has been frustrating due to the long delay that has slowed down the entire exercise in the last two years.
Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, yesterday expressed the frustrations of the leadership, as he revealed that work on the 2010 budget has begun in earnest with initial contacts between the Legislature and the Presidency.
Already, the Minister of Finance, Dr. Mansur Muhktar, has began informal discussions on the budget with the Senate Leader.
Folarin said: "The Minister of Finance was very kind to call me yesterday and he regretted the inability of the ministry to engage the National Assembly due to the long recess. I reckon that by the end of this week, they will have everything wrapped up and then they will begin to brief us on an informal basis."
Folarin, alluding to the disagreement between the Senate and House of Representatives that has forced the two chambers to go their separate ways on the constitution review process, said: "I am not satisfied, no one is satisfied, it has been very frustrating. But I think we are beginning to make progress now. On the part of the Senate, we intend to go on a retreat to Kaduna next week to fine-tune how we can put forward the agenda."
Folarin also admitted that there was an initial mistake in the attempt to get the National Assembly to work together, adding that the two Houses were still committed to the review project.
He disclosed that the National Assembly would concentrate on the issue of electoral reform, adding that even when the federal lawmakers complete their work on the review process, it would still have to before the State Houses of Assembly for further work.
On the likelihood that the review process may not be concluded, the Senate Leader said: "There is no law that says everything has to be done by this National Assembly. Where we don't finish, then it continues in the next National Assembly, but what we are saying on the issue of electoral reform is that we must perform, we must get it right."
Prodded further that failure to conclude the review by the present National Assembly could only mean restarting the process in the next dispensation, he said: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. Review is a slow process. There is nothing that says that this National Assembly is compelled to hand over to the country a new constitution. We will do our best and everybody will see that we will do our best."
The issue of the constitution review has remained on the front-burner with the United Nations and international development partners showing more than a passing interest.
The development partner, with an office in Washington DC, is said to be currently concluding arrangements to involve the United Nations (UN) and the head of Ghana's electoral body, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, toward giving an insight to the Senate into how Ghana was able to organise three successful elections over the last decade.
