The Second Deputy Whip of the Minority Caucus in Parliament, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, has reiterated the caucus’s deep concern regarding the manner in which Chief Justice Esaaba Torkornoo was removed from office.
Mr. Shaib lamented that the ruling government is interfering with the affairs of the Judiciary, an institution that is fundamentally required to be independent of any political influence.
The Member of Parliament for the Weija-Gbawe constituency pointed out that if there were three petitions submitted for the Chief Justice’s removal, it is illogical to conclude the process after only one of the petitions had been dealt with.
Appearing on the “Frontline” program on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he asserted that it is unfortunate that the Chief Justice has been treated in such a manner.
”We are extremely worried about how Justice Torkornoo has been dealt with. Our concern emanates from the fact that there were three petitioners, and a promise was made to address all three petitions. Yet, after concluding with just one of them, the entire process was abruptly brought to an end, and a conclusion was reached. What is fundamentally wrong with us? Why are we disrupting the Judiciary? That is virtually the only major backbone that is not political.
It is the arm of government that is essentially non-political, and we are now meddling politics with the Judiciary as well. For me, and based on what I have heard some of my leaders say, you claimed there were three petitioners, gave the others dates to come and respond to the petitions, and all of a sudden the President has removed her from office. This is truly unfortunate,” he stated.
We’re currently struggling
He acknowledged that, given their current numerical standing in the House, the Majority Caucus is attempting to marginalize their contributions and undermine their participation in legislative proceedings.
He affirmed that they will continue to remain resolute, dedicated, and, most importantly, represent the interests of the Ghanaian populace in the House and hold the government to account.
”What we are dealing with is a significant institutional challenge. While the Majority Caucus possesses the ‘form’—the numerical advantage—we maintain that we have the ‘substance,’ or the quality of legislative input. The fact that they hold the majority of seats does not imply that their contributions are inherently more meaningful than ours, with all due respect. We believe we have consistently delivered work of a high quality. However, numbers do matter; for instance, in situations requiring travel, the numerical disparity is evident when three of our Members of Parliament are present compared to only one from the Majority. This imbalance presents a challenge for us. Yet, we remain resolute in ensuring that, despite these constraints and our numbers, we will be an invaluable and effective voice in the House.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana