Chief Justice should desist from public commentary on government’s performance — Dr Manteaw
Co-chair of the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GHEITI), Dr Steve Manteaw, has urged Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to avoid publicly commenting on government performance.
His comments come amid increasing criticism over remarks by the Chief Justice during a working visit to the Mineral Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on Wednesday, September 2.
The Chief Justice commended MIIF for what he described as its impressive turnaround compared to the previous administration.
He said the performance of some state institutions under the current administration had made him wonder what the previous administration did in the past eight years.
The comments have attracted criticism from sections of the public who argue that the reference to the previous eight years carries a political undertone and could create an impression of bias on the part of the head of the Judiciary.
In response, Dr Manteaw reiterated that such comments could undermine the perception of neutrality expected of the head of the Judiciary.
“I sincerely think the Chief Justice should desist from his public commentary on government's performance. An arbiter must always keep people guessing. His/her views and preferences are better kept to him/herself,” Dr Manteaw wrote in a series of social media posts on Thursday, September 3.
Dr Manteaw further asserted that the concern goes beyond the substance of the Chief Justice’s comments and centres on the need to preserve the perception of judicial impartiality.
He cautioned that allowing judges to publicly express views on government performance could create a situation where other judges might feel compelled to respond publicly.
“Can you imagine another superior court judge expressing a counter opinion publicly? That is the situation we must avoid,” he said.
Dr Manteaw stressed that an arbiter must remain sufficiently detached from public political debates to ensure that all parties retain confidence in the neutrality of the institution.