We’ll hold govt to account — NDC MPs

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has said it will continue to hold the government accountable for its stewardship on behalf of the people.

It said no amount of persecution of its Members of Parliament (MP) and other appointees of the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration would break their resolve to keep holding the feet of the government to the fire on accountability.

This was in reaction to a statement issued by the Attorney-General (A-G) and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, last Tuesday, calling on the public to be circumspect in their commentary on court cases in order not to derail the rule of law.

Response

The Minority, in its response to the A-G in a statement signed and issued by the Minority Chief Whip, Kwame Governs Agbodza, and dated Wednesday, July 5, 2023, described the A-G’s call as a calculated attempt to stifle free speech.

“How is the Attorney-General able to look the good people of Ghana in the face and point out that much of the recent commentary on many of the so-called high-profile criminal cases transgresses permissible limits of free speech, unduly interferes with the work of state prosecutors performing their constitutional function of prosecuting crime in

Ghana, and tends to put unnecessary pressure on the courts, when he willfully and conveniently forgets that the number one culprit is the President?” the statement questioned.

The Minority stated that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s comments on the criminal case against the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, during the campaign in the run-up to the June 27 parliamentary by-election in the constituency and the utterances of the A-G himself when he described the ruling of a High Court to restart trial in the matter of the Republic vs Dr Stephen Opuni and two others were prejudicial comments.

With those comments, the Minority asserted, the A-G could not redefine the boundaries of what constituted prejudicial commentary by members of the Ghanaian public on the seemingly unending trend of persecution of the government's perceived political opponents.

“We wish to remind him (A-G) that justice emanates from the people of Ghana and is administered for and on their behalf.

Therefore, while it may displease him, the Ghanaian people cannot be stifled from having their say,” the Minority said.

“The Attorney-General does not possess such overarching powers to impose fetters on free expression as he seeks to arrogate to himself,” it added. 

Recall

The A-G and Minister of Justice, Mr Dame, in a statement issued last Tuesday, called on the public to be circumspect in their commentary on court cases in order not to derail the rule of law.

He said no one was above the law or immune from prosecution if there was a case against such a person.

He noted that any assertion that a person should not face the law because of his or her political position would not augur well for the development of the country, was dangerous for democracy.