Contemporary Constitutional Issues in our Multiparty Democracy Constitution should not be touched are doing so also for the wrong reasons. Interestingly, both the proponents and the opponents of constitutional reform are speaking with one voice when we examine the real reasons for their positions. Those who wish for the Constitution to be amended are doing so because they need a constitutional ordering which inures to the greater comfort of the wielders of political and economic power. Those insisting that the Constitution should not be amended are confident that the current constitutional ordering is alright to maintain the comfort of the political and economic class and they add that they could achieve greater comfort for themselves since they are the operators of the Constitution anyway. The proponents and opponents are, therefore, speaking in one voice; the end is the same, the method of achieving the end is a little different. Absent from the discourse is the full range of issues that are of concern to the majority of Ghanaians. I will end with the usual apology to anyone who has been hurt by my directness of speech. I believe that as long as we continue massaging each other ' s egos by not daring to speak what we think to people ' s faces, we will be nurturing a sub-optimal level of discourse about public matters which is dangerous to the growth of creative, innovative and rigorous ideas with which we can grow our nascent democratic constitutionalism. Finally, lets us never ever forget that our Constitution has provided in article 36(2)(e) that “ the most secure democracy is the one that assures the basic necessities of life for its people as a fundamental duty. ” I will wish to repeat this provision of our Constitution: “ the most secure democracy is the one that assures the basic necessities of life for its people as a fundamental duty. ” I THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. EVER TRULY YOURS IN THE SERVICE OF MOTHER GHANA, I REMAIN, DR. RAYMOND AKONGBURO ATUGUBA. 17