President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has asked the people of Ghana to say no to persons who have made it their passion to make disparaging remarks against the Judiciary and the Electoral Commission for selfish, parochial and partisan reasons.
“Just as government continues to implement policies to advance the rule of law, and, thereby, reinforce the confidence of the people, and shore up our nation’s reputation as a country governed by the rule of law, there are some who have made it their political agenda to disparage systematically the image of the Judiciary for selfish, parochial, partisan reasons,” President Akufo-Addo said in his keynote address at this year’s Bar Conference of the Ghana Bar Association.
The Conference was held at the GM Afeti Auditorium at the Ho Technical University on Monday, September 12.
The comment is said to be a jab against former President John Dramani Mahama, who recently attacked the Anin-Yeboah-led judiciary.
But the president said some of these critics “are the plaintiffs, who go to Court, indeed, to the highest court of the land, provide not a single shred of evidence to back their claims, and, yet, insist that their claims be upheld, despite the elementary violation of the ancient, common-law rules for the discharge of the burden of proof that such a result would entail”.
“It is no wonder that their claims were unanimously dismissed 7-0 by the apex court. The result of this case is in stark contrast to the result of a similar one in 2013, when the unsuccessful plaintiffs managed to persuade four out of a nine-member court to find for them, and, yet, the earlier plaintiffs chose not to wage a political war against the court.”
He told members of the Bar that Ghana is governed in accordance with the rule of law, and not on the basis of political considerations.
“It is important that all of us, especially us lawyers, who cherish the democracy we are building, say no to such persons, and guard jealously our democratic way of life, which we have done so much to bring into being. Independent judges, administering the law, protecting the human rights of citizens, and ensuring public accountability, are strong pillars of our democracy,” President Akufo-Addo said.
He noted that the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) has become the object of the same anti-democratic attacks as the judiciary.
“Mercifully for all of us, these attacks have not shaken the confidence of the people in these institutions. Genuine democrats should devote their energies to finding ways and means of strengthening the democratic institutions of our Republic, instead of expending profitless time in undermining them,” he stressed.
Source: 3news.com|Ghana