Posted by Chester Morton / Sunday, 4 December 2016 / No comments
The main features and problems of the Sir Gordon Guggisberg Constitution of 1925
Introduction
The Sir Gordon Guggisberg constitution of 1925 was the brain
child of the Governor, Sir Gordon Guggisberg. It was a response to nationalist
agitations of the period.
Legislative Council
The 1925 constitution of the Gold Coast made provision for a
legislative Council. The governor was the President of the Council in addition
to 29 other members. Of the 29, 15 were official members and 14 were unofficial
members.
Of the 14 unofficial members, there were six paramount Chiefs
representing the western, Central and eastern Provinces in the colony. There were
three elected Africans who were elected to represent Accra, Cape Coast and Secondi-Takoradi.
The rest were Europeans representing the Chamber of Commerce, mining and
nominations of the Governor.
Provincial Council of Chiefs
The constitution made a provision for the creation of a
Provincial Council of Chiefs. The Provincial Council was to serve as an
electoral college to elect chiefs into the Legislative Council. Under the
provision, three chiefs were elected to represent the Eastern Province, two
members to represent the Central Province and one to represent the Western
Province, a total of six Paramount Chiefs.
The Executive Council
The 1925 constitution also made provision for an Executive
Council. There were five members, who were all Europeans, in addition to the
Governor. However, in 1942, Nana Ofori Atta and Sir Arku Korsah were added to
the Council. Also in 1943, Nana Tsibu Darko was added making the African
representation three.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
1925 CONSTITUTION
Expanded the membership of the Legislative Council
One of the significant elements of the 1925 constitution was
that it expanded the membership of the Legislative Council from twenty-one to
thirty.
Introduced the elective principle for the first time
Another significant point in the 1925 constitution was that
for the first time the Africans were allowed to vote to elect their
representatives. Using this elective principle, three Africans were elected to
represent Accra, Cape Coast and Secondi-Takoradi.
Creation of the Provincial Council of Chiefs
The 1925 constitution was also important for the fact that it
created the Provincial Council of Chiefs and gave the traditional chiefs the opportunity
to play a part in the administration of the colony.
PROBLEMS WITH THE
GUGGISBERG CONSTITUTION
Exclusion of African from the Executive Council
Like the Clifford constitution before it, the Guggisberg
constitution excluded the African from the Executive Council. This was,
however, corrected in 1942 and 1943 when Nana Ofori Atta, Sir Arku Korsah and
Nana Tsibu Darko were appointed to the join the Executive Council.
Governor’s veto power
The Governor exercised his veto powers under the new constitution.
The Governor was given the power to reject any Ordinance that was passed by the
Legislative Council. The Governor also had the power of Certification where he
could force a law to be passed even if the majority of the members of the
Legislative Council thought otherwise.
Exclusion of Ashanti, northern and Trans-Volta Togoland
This 1925 constitution excluded representatives from the Ashanti,
northern and Trans-Volta Togoland from the Legislative Council. The Governor
was assigned the duty of administering these areas with separate laws.
Limitation of the elective principle
Though the constitution was touted to have introduced the
elective principle for the first time in the Gold Coast, it was limited to the
big towns and cities. It was only used in Cape Coast. Accra and
Secondi-Takoradi and only people who had property valued at a set amount were
allowed to exercise the franchise.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. a. Describe the main features of the 1925 Guggisberg
constitution. [6 marks]
b. Highlight three
weaknesses of the constitution. [6 marks]
2. Discuss three strengths
and three weaknesses of the 1925 constitution of the Gold Coast. [12 marks]
3. a. What were the main features of the 1925 Guggisberg
constitution? [4 marks]
b. Give four
reasons why the people were not satisfied with the provisions of the
constitution. [8 marks]
