Message To The Judiciary – Rt.Rev. Dr. Ben Abubekr
THE JUDICIARY
I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ, whom the prophet Isaiah described as WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, EVERLASTING FATHER and the PRINCE OF PEACE.
Along with divinity and medicine, your profession, jurisprudence, is not a career. It is a VOCATION.
The Doctor, the Priest, and the Lawyer represent God directly in the three essential aspects of the human person. The Doctor sees to it that the human body remains an INTEGRAL UNIT, free from pain and at least for the time being, death.
The Priest takes care that the human person achieves the goal for which he was created – the attainment of eternal life.
The Lawyer’s role is to humanize the person on earth. He guards the quality that makes the creature a human being, namely freedom and Justice.
I therefore appeal to both the Bar and the Bench to carry out your sacred duty of defending the most precious and humanizing qualities of your brothers and sisters conscientiously, without fear or favour, so that justice and rule of law may always prevail in our country, especially during the year of election.
God tells us in Deut 1:17 “ At times I told you Judges, you must be impartial in judgement and give an equal hearing to small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgement is Gods”I pray fervently that there may not be shameful incidents and events connected with the efforts to choose our president and our law makers in 2024, before, during and after the elections. But if such a thing were unfortunately to happen, I appeal to our gallant men and women of the legal vocation to protect the rights of all Ghanaians, low and high, and not be like the few judges and magistrates who were disgracefully exposed, impudently delivering the worst type of injustice under the pretext of promoting justice.
As things are now in the country – the decline of morality in all aspect of life is alarming; the reports of corruption in high political places in respect of the elections are frightening. In the midst of growing poverty and misery, a large number of Ghanaians, especially in the rural areas, a few in positions of influence are allegedly plundering the nation and amassing wealth without compunction.
They are cashing in on the ignorance of our people to gain political points which are inimical to peace, security, progress and development in the nation. This has to stop if Ghanaians are to be saved from the ignominy of being plunged into further wretchedness by unscrupulous and unpatriotic politicians It is for the Judiciary to bring sanity to bear on the misery.
It would be a wicked irony if it were verified that law enforcement agents sent to sort out the unlawful search of gold, having driven the so called thieves away, have themselves become illegal gold miners.I believe that the Judiciary, in their conduct, should realize that the logic of political liberalization and institutional norms guaranteeing rights should generate pressure on the judiciary to expedite the decisions on cases sent to it.
It is constitutional rights of citizens to have their cases dealt with according to law expeditiously. We should not forget that justice delayed is justice denied. Currently, there are too many cases awaiting judgement. As far as I am concerned the Judiciary is the most important institution in the country.
Members of the Judiciary therefore must live up to their unparalleled importance by your just and fair handling of your duties. In the hierarchy of professions, according to the social standing, Judges top the list, followed by doctors.
Professors and academia’s comes next. Army Generals and Senior Officers follows. Lawyers came fifth and Priests are number six in that order. To practice law therefore is a noble act. For a Lawyer to be clean is to declare himself the Son of the God of Justice and God will bless him !! For a Judge or a Lawyer to take a bribe is to disgrace himself.
He is a traitor to the Nation and to his profession. He is like Pontius Pilate who declares Jesus innocent and at the same time condemns him to crucifixion and death. Both Jesus and John the Baptist compare the unjust corrupt judges and lawyers to a broad of vipers. They are as wicked as cobras.
To take the case of the judge – He is given a huge salary, and huge allowances to do his work. Given a house, free chauffeur- driven car, free services of cook, garden boy and steward. At whatever age he retires, he retires on his salary.So what shred of justification do they have to take bribes from anybody, including people whose earnings cannot look after them and their dependants?
Are they not like Cobras and vipers? What does the viper or the cobra get from biting its unfortunate prey? Nothing. What does the judge need for him to justify taking a bribe? A judge who does this is a murderous, wicked and inhuman as David was.
David callously, senselessly and wickedly had Uriah, the husband of Bethsheba killed in order to marry his wife. What God told David applies to all corrupt judges. They are perverted; they are ungrateful to the good Lord. They will pay publicly for the wrong they do clandestinely (2 Sam 12:6 – 12 ) (read) My dear Judges, what has God Not done for you that some of you should flout him so much?
Listen to the word of God: Isaiah 1:17 “ Listen, all you who are judges here on earth. Learn to love Justice, learn to think high thoughts of what God is, and with sincere hearts aspire to Him. Trust him, you must, if find him you would. He does reveal himself to one that challenges his power.
CONCLUSION
My Dear members of the Judiciary, know that a nation in which the Judiciary is corrupt is as good as dead.
Positively, God and the Nation look up to you to keep Ghana alive. Don’t disappoint Him. Always know your dignity and act accordingly.
Written By:
Rt.Rev. Dr. Ben Abubekr.
Peace Council – Ashanti Regional Chairman.
