A legacy to stand on
The lights have gone out on political brinkmanship, a la Justice William Atuguba, at least for now. The panache with which he executed the contempt case that involved the NPP General Secretary, Mr Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, alias “Sir John” and a member the Young Patriots- a youth group associated with the NPP, Mr Hopeson Adorye, was masterfully crafted and delivered to the admiration of many in the country.
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What I found really insightful in the whole episode was the respected judge’s articulation of the aspirations, feelings, anxieties and expectations of Ghanaians, which many politicians have either defiantly ignored or brazenly tossed away.
He brought to the fore, the unwarranted pitiable state to which the Ghanaian has been reduced in the face of the rude behaviour of ‘galamsey politicians’, but assured that the Judiciary will not just sit down but see to it that there is a turnaround. Kudos Justice Atuguba.
After the commencement of the election petition case, many people, whether knowingly or unknowingly, had made pronouncements either in print or on air on the matter before the Supreme Court, to the extent that some showed an inclination to disagree with the process until the revered justices drew a line that was not to be crossed.
But there is this group of political devotees styled as party communication teams of the various political parties, who, in seeking ‘political equalisation’ would still not let go and continued to allow themselves sometimes to be mired in the dangerous situation in which they spewed misinformation and made outright libelous and contentious statements on the case before the ‘nine wise men and women’ .
Unlike the case which involved the newspaper editor, Ken Kuranchie and his ‘comrade-in-crime’ Stephen Atubiga, the Sir John-Adorye contempt case is by far one event in recent times that has sent the whole nation on intense nervous anticipation.
Many had dreaded what the outcome would be, considering that the case before the highest court of the land was in its dying embers and that custodial sentence-though not to be dismissed-was bound to bring about a level of muddiness to a very skillful performance.
A custodial sentence, I dare say, would have worsened the tension in the country. As it is now, nerves are calm and the plain no-nonsense manner in which the Presiding Judge, Mr Justice William Atuguba, warned Ghanaians, irrespective of their social standing, creed or breed, should be enough to give people confidence that the court will deliver fair judgement, come August 29.
The cheerful state in which the nation finds itself now could also not have come into being without mention of the virtuoso performance put up by the counsel for the contemnors, Lawyer Ayikwei Otoo.
Prior to his appearance before the Supreme Court, I had listened to him on several media platforms during which he always spoke of the exalted position of the Supreme Court as the highest court of the land and for which reason, it ought to be accorded the greatest respect.
Therefore, on seeing him before the judges, I had no doubt that he was going to plead on behalf of his clients. But the technique and artistry that he employed can only come from someone like him who knows his stuff so well that he has guts to sing ‘woyomi, woyomi, gargantuan mo n’ kye ndi’ before Supreme Court Justices. Let someone else dare, if not artfully carried out.
While it is true that he is a colleague of the Justices, his brilliance on the afternoon when it mattered most to the fate of his clients, cannot be taken away from him.
Congratulations Lawyer Otoo! You really turned an otherwise grave situation into one of warm, friendly feeling and mirth; what most people were praying for, I should say.
In the news this week, there was this other interesting story of a suggestion by the Catholic Bishops Conference asking the winner in the election petition case not to jubilate after the Supreme Court Verdict, to help promote peace.
I told myself; Dear Monsignors, please this is a tall order. How can anyone not express joy after going through eight months’ anxious expectation?
I think what they rather meant was, celebrate if you must, but please be careful in your excitement and measured in your utterances, to help promote peace.
No matter which side wins though, it is hoped that the lessons learnt will stay with us for a very long time.
By Jojo Sam / The Mirror / Ghana