Former President John Mahama has replied to Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame’s criticism of his judicial comment.
The 2020 NDC flagbearer stated that he will not allow anyone to take away his privilege to voice on national problems.
As a former President, he feels obligated to comment on such issues in order to draw attention to them.
In an interview with TV3 on Monday, September 12, he claimed he is unmoved by criticism from those who disagree with him.
“The Judiciary is the last arbiter. We can disagree, and we can have quarrels in Parliament eventually when we are unable to agree, we all go to the justice system and we must have confidence that it will do fairly and will do so according to the law and in the public interest that’s all I was saying.”
“So how he can interpret that to mean that I was imprudent and bla bla bla. So if you are a former president and you see something going on in the country you have no right to talk about it? Is that what he is saying?
“No, I won’t let him take that right away from me. If I see something going wrong, I will point it out. It is my duty to do so,” he said.
On Monday, September 12, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice responded to former President John Mahama’s criticism of the judiciary.
According to Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, the former President has established the practice of excessively criticizing the judiciary.
He thus described Mr Mahama’s attitude as deplorable and unbecoming of a former Head of State.
I am compelled to comment on the same in this address because they border on the security of the state and constitute a deliberate pattern of conduct aimed at undermining the independence of the Judiciary, an arm of government whose autonomy is crucial to its proper functioning.
“Such conduct is clearly deplorable, coming from one who has occupied the highest office of President and aspires again to that office.
“At this moment, it is important for all to note that I express this sentiment not because I stand in opposition to former President Mahama as a politician.
“My dismay is founded more on the fact that I am a lawyer and every lawyer ought to be concerned about these kinds of views expressed by a political leader in this country!,” he said at Ghana Bar Association’s Annual Conference on Monday.
Speaking at the NDC’s Lawyers’ Conference on Sunday, August 28, the former President stated that it will require a new Chief Justice to rebuild the Judiciary’s “damaged image.”
According to him, the existing leadership of the judiciary lacks the necessary qualities to restore the institution’s tarnished reputation, necessitating the appointment of a new Chief Justice.
Mr Mahama explained that a perceived independent judiciary is critical to the country’s democracy.
The NDC’s 2020 Presidential Candidate, on the other hand, stated that the current judiciary has become a source of derision and mistrust, necessitating the appointment of a new Chief Justice to restore popular trust in the courts.
