A brand new protest has landed in Accra with out visas or vuvuzelas—the Wi-Fi placard. From snug rooms in London and Commonwealth latitudes arrived a thunderous memo: “Reinstate Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo instantly and at once.” Lovely English. Gallops like a racehorse. Then it reaches Ghana’s junction and politely joins the queue behind verification, protocol, and that ever-helpful signboard: System Is Down.
To be truthful to our distant cousins, their letter asks for greater than a dash. In plain daylight, right here’s the substance beneath the drumroll:
- Reinstate the CJ now—don’t anticipate tomorrow’s tomorrow.
- Assure due and truthful course of—together with full and clear entry for her legal professionals to the proceedings.
- Publish clear guidelines of process to information the disciplinary course of.
- Set and announce an actual timeline so the committee concludes its work with out additional delay, and talk the end result to everybody who nonetheless believes within the rule of legislation.
Ghana’s reply, carried by the Lawyer-Common, Dr. Dominic Ayine, is the type of smile that may slice pink tape. Translation: Thanks; additionally, we aren’t a colony. The suspension, he says, follows Article 146 to the letter: petitions obtained; Council of State recommendation taken; prima facie established; an impartial committee chaired by a Supreme Court docket Justice empanelled; makes an attempt to halt the method dismissed by the Supreme Court docket and Excessive Court docket as missing benefit; and a side-quest now earlier than the ECOWAS Court docket as a result of regional whistles exist. The punchline? The President is sure by the committee’s findings; this isn’t government karaoke.
So whose clock ought to we use—the Commonwealth stopwatch or the Ghanaian wall clock that runs on “as and when”? Our elders would say: each the drum and the dancer should preserve time. Sovereignty is the generator; accountability is the bulb. If the room continues to be darkish, shouting “Now we have a generator!” is karaoke, not illumination. Swap it on. Present the wiring. Let the sunshine fall the place the doubts are hiding.
And sure, the optics matter. If you happen to start a case with “she’s aiding,” clarify—clearly—when “aiding” grew to become “suspended,” what the principles are, how counsel participates, and when this drama ends. Publish the procedures in human language; give the timeline tooth that may chew by means of Monday site visitors and Friday rain. When due course of is seen, even your loudest critics will wash their fingers in it.
In the meantime, the net sq.—God bless its information bundles—has been auditioning for stand-up night time:
“Expensive Commonwealth, ‘rapid and at once’ is a stunning phrase. Kindly discover Pokuase at 5 p.m. and exhibit.”
“Advising Ghana on Article 146 with out studying Article 146 is like stirring banku and not using a bowl. Energetic—however the place are you placing it?”
“We settle for flowers for our nationwide mourning. Lectures are obtained on Tuesdays. Carry photocopies.”
“They need to come and reinstate her themselves.”
“Reinstate at this time? Nice. Additionally reinstate electrical energy in my space—rapid and with out dumsor.”
Mockery apart, the jokers are onto one thing. Recommendation travels finest when it kneels, not when it climbs onto the desk. If the Commonwealth desires to assist, deliver bulbs, not bullhorns. If authorities desires to be believed, deliver guidelines and a timetable, not slogans. It’s not both/or. A clever home lights each signboards on the gate—Sovereignty and Rule of Regulation—so even these seated on the again can see the stage and recognise the actors.
As for “rapid and at once,” let the phrase preserve its class and achieve a calendar. Right here, immediacy wears courtroom sneakers, not monitor spikes. The committee will communicate; the legislation will level; the President will do what the Structure says—no extra, no much less. If that sounds boring, good. Rule of legislation is meant to be boring. It’s how nations sleep at night time with no need a Commonwealth lullaby.
Till then, let’s cool tempers, sharpen procedures, and preserve our humour. In any case, a republic that may mourn with dignity, argue with civility, and snort at itself nonetheless has its compass. And if the Wi-Fi placard insists on marching by means of our courtyard, it ought to kindly wipe its toes—and browse the home guidelines posted by the door.
The author, Jimmy Aglah, is a media government, writer, and sharp-eyed social commentator. His newest guide, Once Upon a Time in Ghana: Satirical Chronicles from the Republic of Uncommon Sense, now out there on Amazon Kindle, delivers a witty, piercing tackle Ghanaian society and governance. When he’s not steering broadcast operations, he’s busy difficult conventions—typically with satire, all the time with objective.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Feedback, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform don’t essentially characterize the views or coverage of Multimedia Group Restricted.
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