Law Students condemn politicians

Justice Georgina Theodora Wood is the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana

By William Yaw Owusu

Thursday March 11, 2010
Students of the Ghana School of Law have condemned what they termed as “the new threat of coup against objective reasonable laws and impartial administration of justice in the country by politicians,” asking Ghanaians to stand up against such threats.

“Our politicians have now turned themselves into courts of law, arrogating to themselves the sacred role of law lords but of a dangerous kind. They pass judgments on cases that involve their members even before courts of competent jurisdictions hear the facts of the cases,” they noted.

Samson Lardi Ayenini, President of the Students Representative Council (SRC) of the Ghana Law School (GLS) disclosed this at the launching of the school’s 51st SRC week celebration in Accra yesterday, which is under the theme, “Upholding fundamental human rights: Role of the law student.”

He said, “The two major political parties are guilty of this sacrilege. The practice must stop before our judges are demonized and faith in the justice system eroded by the wanton, uninformed and misguided attacks for parochial interests. We, as students of law, are deeply saddened that the pure laws, which are taught by some finest legal brains in the world, are subjected to such reckless adulteration by politicians.”

“Today, a judge will need great courage to preside over a case on Section 179A (3) of the Criminal Code 1960 (Act 29) which prescribes willfully causing financial loss to the state because the integrity of the judge will be impugned,” he added.

The students wondered why politicians should vilify judges for doing their jobs by applying the provisions of the law on causing financial loss to the state when there is a clear case against accused persons.

“Let all objective minded men and women of the law, especially those with good measure of influence in our society, stand up to be counted. Let them condemn attempts by politicians to give political colour to our laws and to bastardise and turn the people against good judges.

“The blood-curdling screams by rampaging mobs at our courts must end now. The phenomenon poses a serious threat to the administration of justice and seeks to compromise the rule of law.

“The judges certainly are not some infallible Zeus’s whose conduct, if found to be improper, must not be questioned. We must cut out and exorcise the politics and criticize using fair and objective standards. This is how to build a healthy Ghana for posterity,” the students stated.

They urged the Ghana Bar Association to “re-visit the days when it took the frontline in shaping national discourse and policies.”

The students wondered why parliamentarians, who are not in the category of workers exempted from the application of the Labour Act of 2003 (Act 651), could choose to boycott proceedings for as long as they choose and not loose their salaries like teachers who embark on illegal strike actions.

Betty Mould Iddrisu, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, who was the guest speaker said, “I am not here to do politics so invite me again and I will rebut what you have just said.”

Major George Agyemang Sarpong (Rtd), Director of the Board of Legal Education at GSL, said the promotion and protection of the right of the citizenry underpin any democratic dispensation.

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