Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood
The judiciary all over the world is the branch of a country’s central administration that is concerned with dispensing justice. It is the only branch of the government machinery which is perceived to be non-political.
This is not to say that the men in wig do not belong to any political party, but rather we perceive them to be so just to enhance the adjudication of justice in the country. Hence, once they are tagged with politics, it makes the adjudication of justice difficult.
It seriously erodes the confidence of Ghanaians and foreigners alike in the justice system and that does not augur well for a nation that is seeking to score higher points in the international community. For how long can we allow politicians to slowly erase the once fair justice system?
It is in the light of this that I will forever feel indebted to Ghanaians if I allow the current maltreatment meted out to the judiciary by government to pass without comment. It is indeed very appalling and once I remain tight-lipped on this issue, I will slowly be betraying the political entity called Ghana which I have sworn allegiance to protect.
The implication of this ‘ungolden’ silence is that Ghanaians are slowly committing suicide by hanging. This is an issue which will slowly choke Ghanaians to death hence any Ghanaian that endorses it will be signing his/her death sentence.
And the silence or otherwise of a patriotic citizen can be described as a great act of disloyalty to Ghana. It will be an indirect way of informing the constitution that Ghanaians are not prepared to protect it.
And anyone that remains quiet on this issue is calling for a country without a justice system which I believe is a recipe for chaos. So I am charging well meaning Ghanaians to rise up and fight for a just cause.
It is lamentable how certain politicians in this dear nation are trying to sacrifice the judiciary just to score cheap political points. And I wonder how many points they can achieve when they sacrifice the justice industry on the political alter of politics.
As a patriotic citizen of Ghana, I wept bitterly when I heard the regional chairmen of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) justifying the comments of their national chairman. Indeed I was shocked at their actions because I felt these noblemen had understood the meaning of the outburst on Citi fm.
Dr. Kwabena Adjei delivered to Ghanaians the unedited press statement of the NDC; he really told Ghanaians what the NDC as a party had decided to do with the judiciary when he stated “we shall clean the judiciary.” No amount of explanation can redeem him from this awful statement because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks forth.
After spending sleepless nights to find out the reason for such an outburst, I have not really arrived at any reasonable conclusion let alone to discuss the merits of the proposed ‘plan’ of the NDC. It is only when Dr. Kwabena Adjei, and his political cohorts in the umbrella family see the trials of the alleged corrupt officials of the former regime as politically motivated that they can be pardoned for making such a hypocritical outcry.
Anything short of this reason I believe should not attract the anger of these noblemen who are on record to be lamenting for the average Ghanaian. Other than that they should leave it in the hands of the average Ghanaian to decide.
The average Ghanaian should be the judge in this case. The only business the NDC officials and politicians have is to advise the Attorney-General to go back to the classroom and find convincing arguments to win cases.
She must spend sleepless nights to thoroughly investigate as well as understand the technicalities of a case before appearing before the court to prosecute. This is because no individual will stand aloof when led to the slaughter house. Not even the Biblical Isaac remained tight-lipped when Abraham wanted to sacrifice him.
This is not to say that The Governor endorses the perceived corruption in the judiciary. Members of the judiciary should really bow down their heads in shame for allowing such a disgraceful canker to invade the once noble profession.
Indeed, they have given Ghanaians a cause to worry because the men perceived to be honourable and very objective are now sacrificing their credibility on the altar of corruption. They are portraying to the whole world that not even the Chief Justice can be trusted with the safety of the state.
It is against this background that the NDC government which is slowly losing the battle against the development of the country has had cause to blame them for their failures. The NDC government, like a hollow being carried away by running water, has now had the judiciary to hold on to.
And the only thing that will deter them from taking off their hands will be a correction on the part of the judiciary. So I am entreating the Chief Justice to go back and correct the necessary errors to prevent the blames and once again win the trust of Ghanaians. And I wish them good luck.