Bawku Central lawmaker, Mahama Ayariga, has cautioned against unnecessary criticism of the Judiciary in order not to destroy its reputation.
The Member of Parliament says although it is expected of the court to live above reproach, badmouthing the institution has the tendency of weakening the very democracy which the Judiciary is a key component of.
His comments come on the back of the clash between the Executive and the Legislature over assenting to certain bills leading to scheduling of cases by the Judiciary stemming from writs arising from the Anti-LGBTQ+ matter which has become the crux of the arms of government earlier stated.
He had early on indicated that the Chief Justice cannot be faulted for scheduling the matter ahead of another in a related development, until after the outcome of Parliament’s petition for expedited hearing on the Richard Sky matter which is seeking to prevent the President from assenting to the bill.
Speaking on the matter, he counseled that “when we are talking about the Supreme Court we need to think through carefully because when we describe the reputation of our Supreme Court, –not the conduct of the judges themselves and then the conduct of we other political actors –if we all behave in ways that destroy the image of the Supreme Court, we will be weakening a very critical element in a functioning democracy which has the ability of a court to hold the balance.”
He told Alfred Ocansey on the KeyPoints Saturday, March 30, 2024, that it is expected of the “court must live above reproach and at the same time we those that go to them to seek justice must also be careful in a way that we analyse their behaviour so that it doesn’t destroy that institution.”
Meanwhile, Parliament has formally requested the Chief Justice to expedite the hearing of cases related to the Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, commonly known as the anti-LGBTQI+/Gay Bill.
In a petition submitted Friday, March 28, 2024, Parliament’s legal representatives emphasised the significant public interest surrounding these cases and stressed the importance of a prompt resolution to ease tensions among Ghanaians.
Highlighting the precedence set by the recent hearing of MP for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor’s case, the Legislature underscored the need for consistency in addressing similar legal matters.
“It will accordingly be appreciated if the parties are given a very early date to expedite the hearing of the applications pending before the Court. We trust that as the applications raise matters of public interest, you will give our letter the attention it deserves,” portions of Parliament’s statement indicated.
The petition specifically referenced ongoing lawsuits filed by Richard Dela Sky and Dr. Amanda Odoi, both challenging the anti-gay bill on grounds of constitutional violations of homosexual rights.
Their legal actions seek to prevent President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo from assenting the bill into law.
Already, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the apex court of bias for its decision to prioritise the hearing of the application by South Dayi MP, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor, over the approval of ministerial and deputy ministerial nominees, while the case against the anti-LGBTQ Bill filed earlier by Richard Sky, remains pending.
The NDC alleged that the move reflects a conspiracy by the court to aid the government in facilitating their nominees’ approval in Parliament while delaying executive action on the Anti-LGBTQ bill.
