Former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansah Asare
A former Director of the Ghana School of Law has attributed the desire of politicians to tinker with the Constitution anytime they are elected into office to the prolonged silence of Ghanaians.
According to Kwaku Ansah-Asare, the lack of outcry from the public has emboldened those in power to take them for granted.
"They tinker with the Constitution, knowing that Ghanaians will not complain and will not rise to the occasion," Mr. Ansah-Asare stated.
He made these remarks while discussing Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo's request for the appointment of five more judges to the Supreme Court to bring the total to twenty during an interview with Kwame Dwomoh Agyemang, host of Class 91.3 FM's morning show, on Friday, July 5, 2024.
He explained that Article 128(1) of the Constitution stipulates that the Supreme Court, including the Chief Justice, should have no fewer than nine judges, with the minimum being ten.
The Constitution does not specify a maximum number, a gap that the President has exploited to pack the courts with up to fifteen judges.
"If we had risen up, our politicians would not have taken us for granted," he said.
"Ghanaians should blame themselves for the politicians' constant manipulation of the Constitution. If we had stood up, they wouldn't find any excuse to be tinkering with it."
Mr. Ansah-Asare emphasized that politicians have made Ghanaians a laughing stock over the years.
He urged the public to fulfill their moral duty by being vigilant and demanding that the right things are done at all times.
