Be careful with politicians - Justice Atuguba's advice to Barker-Vormawor

Retired Supreme Court judge, Justice William Atuguba has cautioned lawyer and activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor against getting into unnecessary confrontations with politicians and the law.

According to him, young people like Barker-Vormawor gave him hope of a revival of Ghana’s democratic fortunes at a time when it is beset by multiple challenges including dwindling morale in the judiciary.

Justice Atuguba who was speaking at a public lecture organised by Solidaire Ghana and the Department of Political Science of the University of Ghana, earlier this week, in an off-the-cuff moment; singled out Oliver Barker-Vormawor for his nationalistic advocacy.

“No meaningful political reforms can be reasonably expected even under a regime change without sustaining the political renaissance which has started and is growing well in Ghana," he said, reading from his speech.

He went off script to praise the activist: “That’s why I agree to come (and deliver the lecture), because I lost hope but when I see these young people, some are Vormawor, I have never seen him. I hear he is here, can you favour me with me seeing you?” he requested.

Aside staying out of avoidable infractions, he admonished the #FixTheCountry convener to stick to principles and ethos he was fighting to achieve.

“But be careful with politicians. You see, enthusiasm, you can do it. Even as I am saying here, hey. But you see if you throw a careless thing and they get at you, you have no defense.

"So just keep to the principles, insist on the principles without falling to the temptations of the kind of pedestrian political garbage that is spewed out on our airwaves almost every day. That aspect is not necessary,” he advised.

Barker-Vormawor is currently facing a treason felony charge over a social media post the state claims was threatening to subvert the government.

He is also facing a defamation charge by National Security Minister over claims that Albert Kan-Dapaah tried to bribe him to the tune of a million dollars to stop his advocacy.

Others who earned the plaudits of the former Supreme Court judge included the following:

The Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, leading New Patriotic Party member Dr Kwabena Arthur Kennedy and Prof Ransford Edward Van Gyampo of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana.

Economist and Professor of Finance Godfred Bokpin, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Governance (CDD) Professor Agyeman-Duah, former lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Dr Amoako Baah, renowned economist Kwame Pianim, Rev. Opuni-Frimpong, William Wilson, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe and America-based journalist Kevin Ekow Badu Taylor, were also on his list.

He also praised organisations such as the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Citizen Ghana Movement, Africa Centre for Energy Policy, Parliamentary Network Africa, Penplusbytes, Media Foundation for West Africa, SEND Ghana, One Ghana Movement, Democracy Hub, Occupy Ghana and the Institute for Democratic Ghana.

The lecture was on the theme “Protecting Ghana’s Democracy: The Role of the Judiciary.”

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