Opinion: NDC and the rule of law

I cannot help but have a wry smile on my face as I peruse the article concerning the chair of the National Democratic Congress about cleaning the Judiciary if the Attorney General will not do so. What does he mean by that? Have they forgotten so soon how they screamed about Tsatsu Tsikata and the rest when they thought the Judiciary was being manipulated? What flagrant hypocrisy! Is NDC planning to “clean” the Judiciary as they did some time back and return us to the old days of strange disappearances of judges and run their Kangaroo courts? Sometimes I shudder with fear and disgust when “responsible” men make such pronouncements. Their recent seemingly opprobrious conduct/outcome was as a result of their bigotry having little thought for due diligence. I fail to see the wisdom in blaming the judge. Perhaps the Attorney General should be if anyone is to be blamed. The ruling of the court should be hailed as a milestone chalked as part of deepening and strengthening our democracy and should also be seen as an institution working in a free environment devoid of political machinations. NDC should look for lawyers replete with jurisprudence and less on aggression, because in a democracy your simple conviction about someone’s perceived guilt or otherwise is not enough for prosecution. The prosecution should be able to prove its case beyond every reasonable doubt. In this case it was thrown out due to a procedural error, which has characterized many of their recent seemingly ‘failed’ cases. Why the rush? For the safety of the citizenry the burden of proof is always on the accuser. If they have forgotten their basics they should quietly go back to the law books and find out before making embarrassing remarks that will show the country in a bad light and expose their ignorance. The world is a global village now and we should all be careful of our utterances, actions and inactions so as to avoid being blacklisted in the democratic community. We’ve come a long way from military governments, let’s cherish our new status and guard it. The NDC should in no way substitute their lack of sedulity with a show of force. The two are not synonymous and will not be countenanced in this era. Ghana is a democratic country and so shall it remain. Let’s uphold the rule of law and ensure that everyone is given a fair trial, if indeed we mean the country well. By Kwame Mepeasem Email: kwamemepeasem@yahoo.com