Attempt by Communication Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah possibly to get facts twisted or do some sort of damage control concerning lower court judges’ demand for salary increment failed over the weekend.
Dr. Boamah who was on JOYFM/Multi TV’s news analysis programme Newsfile said: “Efforts are still being made to address the issue.” He however, attributed the delay of the judges’ demand to a lawsuit at the Supreme Court challenging the president’s power to vary the conditions of service judges affected the implementation agreed service conditions for the lower court judges.
But his submission wouldn’t stand for moments. He got his facts pigeon-holed by Samson Lardi Anyenini, the host. Samson a lawyer by profession turned the heat on the minister immediately.
He told Dr. Boamah: “That case has nothing to do with the reviewed service conditions of the lower court judges.”
See, Abraham Lincoln was right: “You can fool some people sometime, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” Too much dust had been thrown into people’s eyes and too many lies had been told time and again.
Question is: What at all has government been doing for five whole years?
Isn’t it an indictment on government to have an institution such as the judiciary to go public to say how much a judge earns a month?
It’s an obvious shame. It’s a shame to see our judges wash their gowns and wigs in public. And I think it’s about time we got crazy busy and hold our governments accountable for some of these lapses. Why must it take half a decade to discuss judges’ salary and still haven’t reached finality?
Where’s the urgency that drove the president and his cabinet ministers to sign petitions to grant mercy for the “Montie Trio’ court contemnors?
Why is there always the urgency to build new roads, increase salaries, or reduce petrol prices during election seasons?
Where’s the urgency that doled out monies to prospective voters at the full glance of the world?
Where’s it? Where did it go and are we serious as a nation?
So, you really want to know a strong nation or a workable institution?
A nation isn’t strong if its institutions are plagued by—logistics, financial and ethical paralysis. In other words strong institutions make strong nations and nations without these pillars stand to suffer chronic paralysis. Indeed such nations are often wrought by riots, strikes, demonstrations, coups, corruption, civil wars, crime wave, terrorism and other social vices.
Certainly there can be no freedom of expression (fundamental human right), there can be no free, fair and transparent elections, and there can be no peace and justice in our societies if we do not build strong and more assertive institutions. If we do not resource these institutions there are bound to be all of the menace above-mentioned—–nothing would work for the expected good and nothing can be achieved because they simply don’t work.
The responsibility rests on responsible governments. They must ensure that staff in these institutions are well taken care of in terms of salaries, benefits, emoluments, gratuities and what have you. Payment of salaries should not be a problem and must not be discussed at the public domain.
Let me give you a heads-up: When you hear that judges’ demand for salary increments from government has fallen unto deaf ears, it means things are near implosion. It tells you institutions in that system aren’t working.
Not long ago nurses in the country bared their teeth over unpaid allowances. And now it’s the turn of the judiciary. The lower court judges say they are upset by government’s failure to implement salary reviews granted them five years ago. Yes, that’s exactly what you just read —five years (5yrs.).
What else could be described as laxity if this doesn’t qualify?
Spokesperson for the affected judges Mr. Aboagye Tandoh said the lower court judges’ reviewed service conditions were agreed to, and ratified by the late President John Atta Mills in November 2011. And up to date their efforts to get the Attorney General and the Minister of Finance to address the issue had been unsuccessful.
In view of this they’ve threatened to go on strike by November 20 if their concerns are not addressed. The judges are believed to receive very low salaries, some far below GHS4, 000 a month.
Mr. Tandoh who was also speaking on the Newsfile programme revealed that a recent 10 per cent pay rise for the adjudicating body only benefitted Supreme Court judges the lower judges were excluded. He said if the country cherishes its democracy, its salaries and conditions for the lower courts judges should not be handled in the manner in which this case had been handled.
He revealed that unfair attempts are being made to vary the terms of the agreement reached in 2011–something he doesn’t believe is justified.
According to him a former chief of staff who played a key part in arriving at the terms in 2011 as well as the key persons who participated in deliberations leading to the agreement are still alive and could be contacted to explain the rationale for the terms reached.
Mr. Tandoh said many of the lower court judges left lucrative jobs abroad to come and serve their country, adding it is demeaning to offer them meagre salaries and poor conditions of service.
Meanwhile, the Judicial Council has intervened in the matter and the affected judges hope that the issue will be resolved before the 20th November 2016, the circuit court judge stated.
Perhaps most of you have forgotten what Mr. Tony Lithur said a few months ago. The president’s attorney, Tony had observed something troubling, which in his estimation could affect the ruling NDC‘s chances of winning any elections or probably dent their relationship with the judiciary. He thought being branded as anti-judiciary party wasn’t cool.
And so in the wake of the brouhaha (regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling of the three media men) Mr. Lithur wrote this: “We should avoid the deepening perception that we are against the judiciary in such fundamental way that translates into threat of physical harm. Let’s accept its verdict while we take formal steps to take a second bite at the cherry.”
Fact is when you surround yourself with biblical Ahitophels you’re sure to reap havoc. When the sky is blue they’d tell you it is red. And when things are zagging they’d say they’re zigging.
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