BY VALENTIA TETTEH
Minority Leader Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin has called on President John Dramani Mahama to withhold assent to the recently passed Tribunals Bill, warning that the legislation could undermine Ghana’s justice system.
Speaking during his closing remarks at the end of Parliament’s Second Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament, Mr. Afenyo-Markin said although the Constitution permits the establishment of tribunals, the country’s Constitutional Review Committee had recommended abolishing the system.
“The President’s own reviewers told him to close this door. Instead, his side in Parliament forced it open.”
He argued that history had shown tribunals to be susceptible to abuse, recalling allegations of human rights violations associated with public tribunals during the 1980s.
According to him, the new legislation allows persons without legal training to sit in judgment over serious criminal matters.
“Power, without training, wrapped in immunity, is not a small risk in a country with our history.”
Mr. Afenyo-Markin therefore appealed directly to President Mahama.
“Standing firmly behind our flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, we say to President Mahama: do not sign this bill. Send it back. Listen, for once, to your own Committee.”
He warned that tribunals established today against political opponents could one day be used against those currently in government.
“A tribunal built to be used against your opponents today can be turned on you tomorrow. Nobody wins that game. Only the law loses.”
