As the Ghana Bar Association’s Annual Bar Conference commences
tomorrow, September 8th, 2024 in Kumasi, Lawyers in Search of
Democracy (LINSOD) wishes to advise the Attorney General and Minister
for Justice, Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame not to use the conference
platform to denigrate or attack H.E. John Dramani Mahama or other
political opponents of the ruling NPP as he did at previous bar
conferences, and particularly, in the immediate past conferences in
Cape Coast and Ho. LINSOD equally cautions the Ghana Bar Association
(GBA) to ensure that its distinguished professional and nonpartisan
platform shall not be abused again by the Attorney General to attack
H.E. John Dramani Mahama or other political opponents of the NPP as
has been the case so far during the tenure of Mr. Godfred Yeboah
Dame as the Attorney General and Minister for Justice for Ghana.
2. The history of our legal profession shows that over the years, various
occupants of the Office of Attorney-General and Minister of Justice who
have had the singular opportunity to address the Bar Conference did so
by focusing solely on issues of critical importance to the legal profession,
justice delivery, and other important issues of national character that
affect our lives as a nation. Unfortunately, in recent times, the current
Attorney-General, Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame, practically takes delight
in using the Bar Conference to undertake personal partisan vendetta at
the expense of matters of national importance to the profession and the
citizenry as a whole.
3. We recall with boredom and a strong feeling of regret how his speeches
at the Bar Conferences held in Ho and Cape Coast embarrassed the
occasion; lowered the image of the Bar; and caused most members of
the Bar to raise genuine concerns about his unappealing and uninspiring
conduct. In Ghana today, one of the perspicuous dangers that affect
our very existence as Ghanaians is the incalculably devastating effects of illegal mining which has led to the pollution of our water bodies and
the destruction of our forest reserves.
4. It is our hope that aside the general discussion of matters that are
important exclusively to the legal profession, the Conference will also find
it propitious to deliberate also on how the Bar can fully support the fight
against this seemingly unending illegal mining. It is our anticipation that
this Conference will serve as an opportunity for both the outgoing and
the in-coming leadership of the Bar to create a new chapter for a
renewed professionalism in the legal profession.
5. Indeed, the independence and sanctity of the Bar ought to be
preserved and should not be allowed under any circumstances to sink so
low into the sphere of intense partisan political activity in the name of
“an opening speech by the Attorney- General of the Republic of
Ghana.” We, of LINSOD, and many other well-meaning, and
professionally minded lawyers, as well as the general public are weary of
a regime Attorney General, who shall abuse any opportunity to
deprecate political opponents of the regime. We are equally weary of a
GBA, which is appearing increasingly to discerning Ghanaians as
partisan, and virtually in bed with the current NPP regime. We are
accordingly monitoring events very closely with the hope that these
situations shall change for the better.
6. Whilst LINSOD wishes all lawyers a successful Bar Conference, we also
urge all and sundry to support our call for the non-politicization of the Bar
Conference for a better professional conduct.
Signed:
ERIC DELANYO ALIFO, ESQ. PRESIDENT,
LAWYERS IN SEARCH OF DEMOCRACY
THEOPHILUS DZIMEGA JR., ESQ SECRETARY,
LAWYERS IN SEARCH OF DEMOCRACY
