Supreme Court nominee, Justice Gbiel Simon Suurebaareh, has cautioned against appointing judges solely to meet gender parity targets, insisting that merit and competence must remain the overriding principles in judicial appointments.
Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, Justice Suurebaareh was asked about his views on achieving gender equality in the judiciary, especially at the top levels. While recognising the importance of inclusivity, he argued that appointments should not be made simply to satisfy gender quotas.
“Gender equality should not be used in a blanket way to appoint women to positions just to attain parity,” he stated. “We should look at the competence of the person when it comes to appointments. The person should qualify for the position.”
The nominee noted that the judiciary had made considerable progress on gender representation, particularly at the lower and middle levels of the bench.
“I believe that currently, more than half of the population of judges and magistrates are females,” he observed. “So the judiciary is doing very well as far as gender parity is concerned.”
When further pressed on how to promote women into leadership roles without compromising standards, Justice Suurebaareh emphasised the importance of preparedness and performance.
“We can achieve this if the women work hard to qualify for the positions they are looking for,” he added.
Justice Suurebaareh is one of seven nominees currently undergoing vetting by Parliament following their nomination by President John Dramani Mahama.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Emmanuel Mensah
