Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante has raised concerns about the role of Ghana’s democratic institutions, highlighting the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) as a critical component of a system that ensures the smooth functioning of democracy.
Speaking on Morning Star with Naa Dedei Tettey, Dr. Asah-Asante emphasized that democracy extends beyond elections, requiring all institutions to operate effectively.
“Democracy is not just about having elections and moving on. They’re making sure institutions work. The bar is one of the institutions. The judiciary is one of the institutions, the legislature. And sometimes as this thing started, people said, the judiciary, the highest court of the land or arm of government in a democracy, no institution is a small institution,” he said.
He stressed that the political system depends on the coordinated functioning of its parts.
“All institutions work, they have their separate functions, but all of them work to make the system work better. Because if you look at the political system, it is a system that has what, you know, units and parts that work in tandem to make the system work. So one cannot convince me that if one system is down, another one can work better. For instance, if there is no parliament, how can our democracy move on? And so is the situation for judiciary,” Dr. Asah-Asante noted.
The comments follow statements by the Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, who questioned the Bar’s consistency in addressing constitutional matters, particularly its silence on the application of Article 146 in high-profile cases over the years.
Dr. Asah-Asante called on the Bar to reflect on its delayed engagement and to acknowledge past mistakes.
“They must reflect on this and know that they have erred. That is a fact. And there’s nothing wrong saying that, yes, we got it wrong, but we are moving on,” he added.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
