The Governance Commission of Liberia has officially opened a critical two-day national dialogue at the Monrovia City Hall to address long-standing inadequacies in the country’s 1986 constitution. The convention marks a major milestone in a reform process originally launched in 2012 under former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Speaking on Rise and Shine, global politics and governance analyst Paul Ejime emphasised that the current framework is a relic of a completely different era, having been drafted before the devastating civil war that killed up to 250 000 people and ended in 2003.
“They were not seers or prophets to see the future,” Ejime noted, explaining that constitutional updates are vital to address the modern realities of post-conflict Liberia. “Governments come and go, but governance is a continuum. It is important to from time to time look at the constitution and see what because it’s a ground norm, it’s what determines the existence of a country.”
The hearings are expected to address deep-seated national friction, including the historical “Americo-Liberian vs. indigenous settlers” dichotomy and the problem of an “imperial Presidency” that centralises too much power within the executive branch. To permanently alter the document, the proposals will eventually require a majority vote from both houses of parliament or a petition signed by at least 10 000 Liberian citizens.
–ChannelAfrica–
