The Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Anatu Anne Seidu Bogobiri Esq., has defended Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie over his recent comments urging Ghanaians to support President John Dramani Mahama’s development agenda.
According to her, attempts to interpret the Chief Justice’s call for collective support for the government’s agenda as an endorsement of partisan politics are “mischievous, hypocritical and unpatriotic.”
The Chief Justice is reported to have said: “President Mahama’s agenda is one that will benefit Ghana. We should do everything to ensure that he succeeds.”
Reacting to the controversy surrounding the comment, Ms Bogobiri argued that there was “absolutely nothing wrong” with the statement, insisting that the success of the President’s agenda should ultimately be viewed as a success for the country rather than for the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) alone.
Ms Bogobiri stressed that President Mahama, although elected on the ticket of the NDC, is President of the Republic of Ghana and therefore represents the interests of the entire country.
She argued that if the President succeeds in implementing policies aimed at resetting the economy, fighting corruption, creating jobs and improving national development, the benefits would accrue to Ghanaians regardless of their political affiliations.
“John Dramani Mahama is not just National Democratic Congress (NDC) President; he is President of the Republic of Ghana. His failure is Ghana’s failure. His success is Ghana’s success,” she said.
She questioned why any Ghanaian, including a senior judicial officer, would wish for the failure of a sitting President whose policies are intended to improve the country.
According to her, supporters of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) would also benefit if the government’s policies succeed, making the call for national support a matter of patriotism rather than party politics.
Ms Bogobiri further argued that the Chief Justice, like every Ghanaian citizen, has a constitutional right to express views on matters of national interest.
She maintained that Chief Justice Baffoe-Bonnie did not call on Ghanaians to vote for the NDC or ask the electorate to ensure the party wins the 2028 general elections.
“The Chief Justice did not say ‘NDC must win 2028’. He did not say ‘vote for NDC’. He spoke about Ghana,” she argued.
She therefore believes that describing the comments as partisan amounts to an attempt to distort their intended meaning.
According to her, encouraging citizens to support a national development agenda that is believed to be beneficial to the country should not automatically be equated with political campaigning.
She said such calls should instead be encouraged as part of efforts to promote national development.
Addressing concerns about whether the Chief Justice’s comments were consistent with his judicial responsibilities, Ms Bogobiri said the judicial oath does not require judges to remain silent on issues concerning national development.
She explained that judicial impartiality primarily requires judges to remain fair and independent when determining cases before them.
“The Judicial Oath requires Judges to be impartial in cases before them, not to be silent robots on national development,” she said.
She added that the Chief Justice made the comments at a nation-building forum and not while presiding over a case in court.
For her, the context in which the remarks were made is important in assessing their appropriateness.
“The Chief Justice was speaking at a nation-building forum, not from the bench. He was encouraging citizens to support a development agenda that he believes will benefit Ghana,” she said.
She described that position as an expression of leadership and a commitment to national development.
Ms Bogobiri also accused critics of the Chief Justice of applying double standards in their assessment of comments by heads of the judiciary.
She claimed that some of those currently condemning Chief Justice Baffoe-Bonnie remained silent when previous Chief Justices made what she described as similar calls for support for government programmes.
“When past Chief Justices made similar calls for support for government programmes, those now shouting today were silent,” she alleged.
She said political actors and commentators should therefore avoid applying different standards depending on which political party is in government.
“We cannot have one standard for one government and another for President Mahama’s government,” she stated.
Ms Bogobiri maintained that the focus should be on whether the President’s policies and programmes are capable of advancing Ghana’s development, rather than on the political party under whose administration they are being implemented.
Maintaining her defence of the Chief Justice, Ms Bogobiri insisted that President Mahama’s “reset agenda” is ultimately intended to benefit Ghana and its citizens.
She said the Chief Justice, as an eminent statesman, has every right to encourage Ghanaians to support initiatives he believes will advance the national interest.
“Let us be honest. President Mahama’s reset agenda is indeed for the benefit of Ghana. The Chief Justice as an eminent statesman has every right to call on all of us to support it to succeed,” she said.
She urged Ghanaians to put the national interest ahead of partisan considerations.
“Ghana first,” she added.
By 1960news.com
