Sane Voices Demand Sanity

Martin Kpebu

There is an urgent need for sane voices to prevail on our political landscape.

This need is no longer subject to debate. It is an imperative if we have to save our democratic process from the machinations of lovers of coup d'état. Recent events require that those concerned about the stability of Ghana speak up and not leave the narratives to those who want to personally profit from our democratic architecture.

We seem to be drifting in our narratives that someone will ask we should hit the nail right on the head. Prior to that, we want to limit our list of sane voices to the law fraternity, where leaders in that space like Sam Okudzeto, Tsatsu Tsikata and Joe Ghartey, when they speak, people are all ears although their political persuasions are not in doubt.

These personalities will make their arguments based on the law, evidence and facts, not bothered about whose ox is gored.

The younger generation of lawyers have refused to make their arguments based on law but out of their political convictions. Thus one is always disappointed when lawyers like Martin Kpebu, Rockson Dafeamekpor, and even of late, respected Raymond Atuguba and Thaddeus Sory have become very predictable.

When the matter concerns the NDC, these characters will throw away the legal decency and descend into the gutters like serial callers.

The reactions from NDC lawyers in relation to the decision of the Supreme Court with regards to the four seats Speaker Alban Bagbin declared vacant portend danger for our democracy and rule of law.

If the man who carries himself proudly as Number Three in the country can decide to ignore an order of the Supreme Court citing the Standing Orders of Parliament, then God help us. It is surprising that Speaker Bagbin can interpret very loosely the fact that Parliament is the master of its rules to mean that his actions cannot be subject of legal litigations, then our country is in big trouble.

We know our Constitution guarantees separation of powers of the three arms of government. But the same Constitution mandates checks and balances, and that is why the Judiciary and for that matter the apex court, the Supreme Court, is guaranteed the power to be the bulwark against the arbitrariness of Speaker Bagbin and the Executive.

That is why the defiant posture of Speaker Bagbin is abominable and legendary. His decision to defy the Supreme Court order and attempt to set it aside make Speaker Bagbin a threat to our democratic process.

He must be watched before he destabilises our democratic process.

As a Minority Leader in time past, he always screamed against sole sourcing. When it was done he will go after state officials believed to have done so. However, when the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) shot down his attempt to engage Lawyer Thaddeus Sory by sole sourcing, Speaker Bagbin still went ahead to do so, thereby flouting the laws that he served as the referee for them to be passed by Parliament.

The Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Gertrude Torkornoo pointed to a constitutional crisis because Parliament is on break sine die. This makes it difficult for government business to be carried out as matters reserved for Parliament are at a standstill.

And as it is to be expected, former President John Mahama has again taken the Judiciary to the cleaners. John Mahama lacks the character to appreciate the tenets of the rule of law and thinks any matter of interest to the NDC must go the party’s way.

In a democracy, the players must have the temperament to tolerate the verdict of the courts, otherwise we descend into the state of nature. With all the experiences at the disposal of John Mahama as a former head of state, he thinks the best way to be heard is to be very partisan and carry the umbrella to even places where the country must be first.

It is against this background that we are inviting sane voices to intervene in order to safeguard our democratic process.