President Mahama chides media over Supreme Court bribery allegations
President John Dramani Mahama says it is irresponsible for some individuals to suggest that the justices of the Supreme Court were bribed through the Asantehene for the court to rule on the election petition in his favour.
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He has also criticised the media for providing the platform for such people to insult and vilify him, the justices of the Supreme Court, chiefs and other prominent Ghanaians.
He said the attacks on the prominent citizens were based on fabrication and outright lies devoid of substance.
He said criticism of the justices of the Supreme Court who sat on the election petition was unguarded, since the justices only performed their constitutional duty of adjudicating the case.
He referred to the recent online publication which had alleged that the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, had facilitated the alleged bribery of some justices of the Supreme Court to rule in President Mahama’s favour in the election petition and the subsequent review of that story on a Kumasi-based radio station as examples of irresponsible journalism.
President Mahama expressed the concern at a thanksgiving service in his honour at the Cedar Mountain Chapel of the Assemblies of God Church at East Legon in Accra yesterday.
Songs of praise, prayers and Bible readings characterised the thanksgiving service, which was attended by hundreds of members of the church, the First Lady, Mrs Lordina Mahama, the President’s children and the Chief of Staff, Mr Prosper Douglas Bani.
President on the media
The President said the Constitution guaranteed freedom of speech and expression and indicated that the media were supposed to support the forward march of the country by educating, informing and entertaining Ghanaians.
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Besides, he said, the media were supposed to offer constructive criticism of those in authority for them to be on guard and correct their mistakes.
However, he said, what the media did now was to insult the President and other prominent citizens, instead of constructively criticising their acts of commission or omission.
''The media are supposed to advance society, not to harm society, divide society or move society backward,'' he said.
President Mahama said he was not against criticism but that it was unfair for people to call him and other prominent Ghanaians names, instead of offering constructive criticism of their actions.
He said even when a child had committed an offence, the father was not supposed to insult the child but rather pinpoint the mistakes and lead the child to do the right thing next time.
''If the criticism is made politely and in a civil way, it makes it easy to take,'' he said.
Criticism of justices of the Supreme Court
The President said the judgement by the justices of the Supreme Court on the election petition could have gone the other way because the justices were empowered by the Constitution to adjudicate on such matters.
''Our justices have a difficult assignment. So if they have taken a decision, must we vilify them? The discussions are not necessary. They are not going to take the nation forward,''' he said.
President Mahama said the election petition had enhanced Ghana's image as a beacon of democracy and peace, since the election dispute could have led to war in other countries.
Therefore, he said, it was crucial for Ghanaians to put the case behind them and forge ahead to build the country.
Economic growth
The President said God had blessed the country with natural resources and human potential, while the nation was also making progress economically.
For instance, he said, the economy had recorded positive growth since 1985, with the country recording average growth of eight per cent per annum within the last few years.
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He said the average eight per cent annual growth could catapult Ghana into a full middle-income status in a few years’ time.
President Mahama stressed the need for Ghanaians to be grateful to God for bringing the country thus far in terms of infrastructure development, education and living conditions.
He said the future prospects for Ghana were bright and, therefore, asked all Ghanaians to work together to move the development agenda forward.
Rev Dr Stephen Y. Wengam
In his sermon, the Pastor of the Cedar Mountain Chapel, Rev Dr Stephen Y. Wengam, asked Ghanaians not to engage in any acts that could disturb the prevailing peace in the country.
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He said God's favour was on Ghana and asked Ghanaians not to fear but work together as one people to develop the country.
Rev Dr Wengam said it was God who anointed President Mahama to lead the country and expressed the hope that the President would work with his team to grow the economy.
He prayed for God's continuous blessing for the country, President Mahama, his team and his family and declared that the President would enjoy God's blessings throughout his term in office.
By Musah Yahaya Jafaru/Daily Graphic/Ghana