Mills must stop attacks on Judiciary- Tamakloe

Source : Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe/Citifmonline.com | Wed 18th August, 2010 9:13 GMT

Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, founding member of the NPP

A leading member of the New Patriotic Party Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe has called on President John Evans Atta Mils to curtail the constant attack on the Judiciary through the prosecution of former state officials under the Kufuor administration.

He said: “If president Mills is indeed committed to the rule of law as a learned jury and president of Ghana, he must call back his attack comrades who are currently prosecuting an agenda of persecution, hate and vendetta against the Judiciary”.

Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, who served as Ghana’s ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro during the erstwhile administration said an intervention is quickly needed from the president if he truly believes in the tenets of democracy, adding that the ongoing politically-motivated trials would only do little in healing the sharp wounds of the people of this country.

“President Mills’ urgent action is needed if democracy and a level socio-political playing field is to be maintained in Ghana. The current NDC Judiciary bashing is symptomatic of the bracketing out of the rule of law that former President J.A Kufuor recently observed. The NDC must engage in a soul searching if it wants to understand its recent losses in the court.

Thus far, the NDC has engaged in politically-motivated, Soviet-style show trial, hence its losses in the court. These cases are not driven by rational legal analysis but rather a determination to please party faithful and also justify wild and scurrilous allegations that the NDC made during the 2008 election,” he said.

He questioned the NDC’s morality in dwelling on some heinous crimes committed under the former regime when those issues have long been settled and the Ghanaian public fully aware of the proceedings, saying that apart from propaganda, he doesn’t see any other reason why the NDC would still pursue “dead cases”.

“How else can one justify the quixotic and the dishonest attempt to link the Kuffour regime heinous killing of rook Frimpong, former deputy MD of GCB? Despite the painstaking investigation leading to the arrest and arraignment of the armed robbers who confessed to the crime, the NDC concocted allegations against five serving military men and incarcerated them for a long period before the attorney general was compelled a Nolle Prosequi when the disgraceful case collapsed.

“How also can one justify the prosecution of former NPP minister Stephen Asamoah boating for insulting BNI officials who sought to seize her passport without identifying themselves?. In an era where the police and attorney general department are starved of resources, was this failed prosecution an effective use of state resources? How also can one justify the failure to prosecute NDC foot soldiers who are holding the state to ransom and forcibly taking over?

He continued: “Now we hear that the government wants to replace the current judge assigned to the highly politicized Ya Naa trial for reasons known only to the NDC. While we await the official rational for this attack on the judge we are reminded that the NDC’s attacks on the Judiciary, including vitriolic intervention made by party functionaries and government appointees shows that, indeed a leopard can’t its spots.

The NDC is drawing on the disturbing legacy of the AFRC and PNDC regimes, that hounded and coward the Judiciary including the assassination of three high court judges. These regimes replaced the Judiciary with special courts and tribunals that reverted justice in this country. It is doubtful if any member of the NDC leadership would voluntary submit to the jurisdiction of those special courts and tribunals if they were to be reincarnated”.

Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe called on well meaning Ghanaians to stand firm behind the Judiciary and not allow the actions of the NDC to cajole them into accepting the treatment they are being taken through.

“It is incumbent on Ghanaians to come out in support of the Judiciary, failing, which the NDC might succeed in its aim to emasculate the Judiciary. The NDC should rest assured however that if they should persist in their disturbing attacks on the judiciary, right-thinking Ghanaians would not sit by unconcerned – those who resisted AFRC/PNDC/NDC…,” he concluded.