Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh has asked Parliament to go beyond passing a resolution to amend the Act that established the General Legal Council (GLC).
He said the GLC is a statutory body created by an Act of Parliament. Until the Act is amended, he said, the resolution made to the body regarding legal education in Ghana will not be binding.
Parliament on Friday October 29 resolved that all LLB students who obtained 50 per cent pass mark in the law school entrance examinations should be admitted.
The unanimous decision was arrived at by a voice votes in Parliament.
Prof Prempeh who is also a Ghanaian lawyer stated on the Key Points on TV3/3FM Saturday, October 30 with host Dzifa Bampoh that this resolution is not binding.
He said “I am delighted to see Parliament really weigh in on this matter. This is a long-running battle and I think that it is good to have the political class weigh in on this way.
“Parliament makes decisions in a number of ways they can pass a bill if signed it becomes an Act of Parliament. It also operates by passing resolutions. Some of the resolutions are binding, some are not binding.
“This is one of the resolutions in the latter category, it is not binding. But, it does register Parliament’s collective disapproval of the way and manner in which a statutory body like the GLC has been handling this matter of access to legal education.”
He added “The GLC is a statutory body that was established by an Act of Parliament. It has been many years since the Act was passed.
“I will welcome another look at that Act. It is Parliament’s own Act, they can therefore also go beyond passing a resolution to actually amend the Act. These days, they have the right to initiate Private Members bill. I will think that this will be a very candidate for such a Bill.
“So, they should actually move beyond and put some bite behind their words. They can take another look at the legal profession Act or whichever act the GLC is established under and basically make the necessary amendments to that Act or enact a whole new law to regulate the legal profession. So I think it is a good first step.”
