Every Ghanaian and, indeed, the entire world are bracing up for the historic Supreme Court verdict today. The way people will react to the verdict will make or unmake our country. We are certainly at the crossroads, but we expect all to use this opportunity to consolidate the country’s democratic credentials on the African continent. The outpouring of goodwill from all corners of the globe is indicative of the trust people have in Ghana’s democracy, for which reason we cannot afford to fail. Whatever concerns a section of society may have over the peace campaign, the Daily Graphic thinks the campaigns have sensitised the people to the need to preserve the peace. From all corners of the country, everybody, including those who took entrenched positions in the past, is preaching peace and urging all to accept the verdict in good faith. However, let us not joke about the effects of the petition on the body politic because the petitioners’ decision to go to court has slowed down the governance process. We as a nation have not chosen this path before in our 56-year history and certainly it is not every Ghanaian who will appreciate the essence of the process. The process that has claimed four contempt victims for challenging the Supreme Court cannot be a child’s play. It is a serious legal contest that will find expression in law reports, both local and abroad. Many things have been said about our learned judges, some in the form of commendation and others as criticism, and we believe all this is meant to improve the conduct of public affairs in the country. When the contempt convictions were slapped on the four personalities, some schools of thought held the view that contempt of court was replacing the repealed Criminal Libel Law. The Supreme Court, as the highest court of the land, had to establish its authority, as well as rein in all those bent on poisoning the atmosphere by their unguarded statements on the election petition. Our Constitution guarantees the freedom and independence of the press, but that right is not absolute, as the same legal document states in clear terms, in Article 164, that provisions on the press “are subject to laws that are reasonably required in the interest of national security, public order, public morality and for the purpose of protecting the reputations, rights and freedoms of persons”. It must be very clear to all media persons that the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution are not absolute. That is why we ought to exercise the freedom of the press with responsibility and be very circumspect in our reportage, particularly during this period in our history, so that we do not inflame passions. We have said time and again that Ghanaians should learn very useful lessons from the election petition, no matter the outcome, and devise systems that will help unite all the political forces in the country. The country heads for danger if we do nothing to correct the practice of the winner of a general election benefitting from all the privileges in society. That kind of system breeds the politics of antagonism, such that there is very little collaboration between the government and the minority. It also gives room to the situation where electioneering begins the moment the results of elections are announced, giving very little room for the government to “hit the ground running”. We should discuss suggestions for electoral and political reforms after today’s verdict, so that we can build a new political architecture that accommodates all shades of political persuasions. The Daily Graphic urges the parties in the election petition to try and build bridges to narrow the political divide, so that all energies will be brought to bear on the task of nation building. We need to bond better now for the sake of Mother Ghana, so that whatever the verdict, Ghana wins the day. Daily Graphic/Ghana
Posted on: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 11:00:41 +0000