By William Yaw Owusu
Thursday March 18, 2010
Professor Ken Agyemang Attafuah, a renowned criminologist and lawyer says “the sincere commitment to truth as the essence of oath taking” is missing in Ghana
“The reality of the situation is that oaths and pledges are broken with impunity at will by our political leaders usually for political expediency,” he lamented.
Prof. Attafuah was delivering the 5th Re Akoto Memorial lectures on the theme “Oaths, pledges and promises to keep – Advancing human rights in volatile political times”.
The public lecture was organized by students of Ghana School of Law to mark its 51st Law Week celebrations under the theme “Upholding fundamental human rights: Role of the law student,” and was chaired by Nana Dr. S.K.B Asante, a constitutional law expert.
Prof Attafuah said “to respect our oaths, pledges and promises, we must evince truthfulness, fidelity and condour in our dealings with our fellows.
He said “these virtues are most warranted for the progress of our nation, especially among our leaders,” adding “unless women, men and children can accord credence to, and invest faith and confidence in, the solemn words and declarations of others, the cement of social order and the enterprise of commerce, cannot hold.”
“As a people, we do not seem to take our oaths, pledges and promises seriously. How have we fared, 53 years after our collective solemn declaration of the twin concepts - Freedom and Justice – words that lie at the heart of human rights everywhere – as our national motto”?
“We have watered down our commitment to our oaths, pledges and promises and the unity of purpose and consensus that preceded independence, whether it was to come within the shortest possible time or immediately”, he explained.
Prof. Attafuah said the first thing a government owed its people was security, regardless of their personal and social characteristics and religious and political persuasion.
“Today, we still are not truly free in our land; most law-abiding Ghanaians continue to live in fear of predatory violent crimes such as armed robbery, and those who can afford it buy for themselves private security on the open market, or build fortresses to keep intruders out”.
“Half a century on, we continue to wallow in embarrassing poverty, pettiness and privation,” he added.
“Our politics is largely a graveyard of failed oaths, pledges and promises. All around us, we are enveloped in injustice and conditions deny access to justice; across our land, we manifest mild to serious levels of political insecurity occasioned by moribund partisan politics and chieftaincy disputes that challenge our credentials to domestic peace and sometimes make you wonder what drives us.”
“Our home-grown conflicts drain more time, attention, blood, treasure and support from us and our Government than does the cost of fighting disease and educating our teeming youths. We engage in corruption to the detriment of our nation, and we sometimes show remarkable ingenuity in redefining “corruption” to suit our changing and volatile political times.”
Prof Attafuah said the cycle of vengeance and political vendettas that attends every change in political leadership since independence has endangered the health of millions of Ghanaians and militated against the socio-economic and democratic development of the country.
“A cocktail of political victimizations, intimidation, administrative injustices, politically-motivated dismissals of public servants and the violent seizure of property is, in more fundamental ways, contributing to the intensity of the volatile political times in which we live.”
Prof. Attafuah expressed concern about injustices meted out to students of the Ghana School of law has by the authorities saying “law schools and law faculties in the country cannot be centers of tyranny and human rights violations.”
“The provisions and imperatives of Chapter 5 and Article 296(b) of the Constitution must manifest daily in the running of these institutions which must, by definition and of necessity, be centers of excellence in the promotion and practice of human rights”.
“Bullying, rude and tyrannical lectures are not human rights advocates; indeed, they make a net negative contribution to the advancement of human rights by setting up false standards and offering bad examples for lawyer trainees to emulate”.
Also see : www.dailyguideghana.com
1 comment:
Dr Attafuah that how we do our politics in ghana.One that saddens me is that one particular tribe are been given all various post in our institutions as if they are only tribe we have in ghana.
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