Political activist, physician and social commentator Dr Arthur Kobina Kennedy has called on Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to apologise for comments he made during visits to some state-owned institutions and pledge not to repeat what he considers inappropriate conduct. Dr Kennedy said the Chief Justice’s remarks during his recent tour of state-owned enterprises were beneath […]
Political activist, physician and social commentator Dr Arthur Kobina Kennedy has called on Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to apologise for comments he made during visits to some state-owned institutions and pledge not to repeat what he considers inappropriate conduct.
Dr Kennedy said the Chief Justice’s remarks during his recent tour of state-owned enterprises were beneath the dignity of his office and risked creating the impression that he was taking a political position.
“I hope you can find it in your heart to apologise and pledge to do no more,” Dr Kennedy said in a video commentary on the controversy.
The Chief Justice has faced criticism after he praised the performance of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) and other public institutions during visits to MIIF and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) on Wednesday, September 2.
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At MIIF, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie said the improvements he had observed had caused him to question what Ghana had been doing over the previous eight years.
“I must congratulate you. I mean, you have done marvellously well,” he said.
“Sometimes when we hear the things that you have done, the things that some organisations are doing now, we wonder; some of us keep wondering what really we have been doing in the past eight years.”
He also questioned the management of public resources in previous years while referring to information presented to him about SSNIT and its past plans to dispose of some assets.
The comments have since triggered a debate over the appropriateness of political or governance commentary by the head of the Judiciary, with critics arguing that such statements could affect perceptions of judicial neutrality.
Dr Kennedy said the concern should not be viewed through partisan lenses.
He criticised supporters of both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for what he described as selective outrage over the controversy.
He argued that NPP supporters who previously saw nothing wrong with former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo’s conduct but now object to Justice Baffoe-Bonnie’s comments were being hypocritical.
He levelled the same criticism at NDC supporters who, in his view, had taken the opposite position in the earlier controversy but were now defending the current Chief Justice.
“Having said all that, Mr Chief Justice, your place as Chief Justice is not to be touring state-owned enterprises and making the remarks that you made. Indeed, you sounded like an NDC official, unfortunately,” Dr Kennedy said.
He said the Chief Justice’s conduct was particularly concerning because of the responsibility attached to his office.
“What you did was beneath the dignity of your office, and it did not reflect well on you or the judiciary,” he said.
Dr Kennedy therefore urged Justice Baffoe-Bonnie to acknowledge the concerns raised by his comments, apologise and give an undertaking not to repeat such conduct.
He said the Chief Justice should be mindful that his public conduct can have implications beyond his personal reputation and affect public perceptions of the Judiciary as an institution.
“He is the exemplar for our judiciary,” Dr Kennedy said.
“I urge you, Mr Chief Justice, not to disappoint us.”
The comments come as the Judicial Service has also sought to address the public reaction to the Chief Justice’s recent engagements.
In a statement issued on Friday, September 4, the Judicial Service said the Chief Justice had taken note of the “mixed public reaction” to observations he made during an outreach engagement.
It said the observations were made in good faith and were not intended to serve a purpose inimical to judicial independence.
“The Chief Justice remains committed to upholding the integrity and independence of the Judiciary, and the promotion of justice and equality before the law,” the Judicial Service said.
The statement, however, did not announce an apology or withdrawal of the Chief Justice’s comments.
Dr Kennedy’s intervention adds to growing calls for the Chief Justice to exercise caution in his public commentary, particularly where his remarks could be interpreted as favouring one political administration over another.
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