Political analyst, Dr. Alex Emmanuel Nti, has described the harsh criticisms leveled against Chief Justice Baffoe-Bonnie following remarks he made regarding the performance of some state-owned enterprises as needless.
He posited that there is nothing wrong with the Chief Justice touring government institutions, provided such visits do not interfere with his official duties within the Judiciary.
According to him, the visits can serve as a wake-up call for public institutions to improve their performance, since officials would recognize that their work is being observed and assessed.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Dr. Nti said the Chief Justice’s recent comments during his visit to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) should be understood within the context of encouraging institutional efficiency and national development, rather than as political commentary.
He argued that when state institutions perform well, the benefits extend to all Ghanaians, regardless of political affiliation.
The Chief Justice’s visits to MIIF and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) have generated public debate after he praised the performance of some state institutions and questioned what Ghana had been doing over the previous eight years.
Some critics have described his remarks as political, arguing that they undermine his independence and neutrality.
However, Dr. Nti stressed that the nation has three arms of government and there is nothing wrong with any of the heads paying visits to institutions to familiarize themselves with their work.
“We have three main arms of government in Ghana including the Judiciary, Legislature, and Executive, and these arms of government can work collaboratively in developing the country. It is therefore not wrong for the Speaker to pay visits to state institutions, neither is it wrong for the President or the Chief Justice to do the same. I am sure all these things work for our good. It can serve as a wake-up call for public institutions to improve their performance, since officials would recognize that their work is being observed and assessed,” he said.
He added, “For me, it is a step in the right direction that he is visiting these institutions and commending them for their work. There is nothing wrong with that. We have seen institutions run at a loss in the past, and if the Chief Justice had gone around, observed that they have done well, and commended them, what is wrong with that? It was a step in the right direction that he visited these institutions to encourage them to do more.”
Dr. Alex Emmanuel Nti referenced the failed attempt by a former administration to sell some hotels, alongside the recent performance of SSNIT, to highlight that the public had condemned SSNIT for past missteps; thus, understanding the spirit of the comments, it is not wrong for the Chief Justice to commend their turnaround.
“Those who have harshly criticized the Chief Justice are doing so for their own mischievous purposes, but I think the man was only encouraging them to do better,” he stated.
The analyst asked the public to give the Chief Justice a break, asserting that he did nothing unethical.
According to him, one key point Ghanaians are missing is that the Chief Justice is in line to assume the presidency in the unlikely event that the President, the Vice President, and the Speaker are all unavailable to manage the affairs of the state.
“The attacks on him are baseless. He has seen that some institutions are doing great, and so he has commended them, and I see nothing wrong with that. We have politicized everything in the country to the point that we see everything through a political lens. It is wrong and evil to do that,” he concluded.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
