Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has opposed the reintroduction of Public Tribunals following its passage by parliament.
According to Dr Bawumia, Ghana’s courts are congested, but public tribunals are not the answer to addressing the growing congestion in Ghana’s courts,
He argued that the country’s judicial challenges should instead be resolved through reforms that strengthen the existing court system.
Dr Bawumia urged President Mahama to carefully consider Ghana’s past experience with public tribunals before allowing the bill to become law.
Speaking during a national address on Sunday, July 19, following the passage of the Tribunals Bill by Parliament, Bawumia stated, “Reflect on the historical antecedents of the public tribunals system. Under this bill, panels that include persons who are not lawyers may sit in judgement over criminal matters. Ghanaians remember tribunals, and we remember what was done in their names.
“Our courts are congested, but the answer to congested courts is to strengthen the courts, more judges, more courtrooms and digitised processes. It is not to build a second system of justice.”
Also, Dr Bawumia made a direct appeal to President John Dramani Mahama not to assent to the recently passed Tribunals Bill.
According to Dr Bawumia, the legislation with such far-reaching consequences should first be subjected to extensive national consultation.
Dr Bawumia stressed that the Tribunal Bill should not become law until key stakeholders have had the opportunity to deliberate on its implications, adding that reforms affecting Ghana’s justice system should be built on broad public consensus rather than a parliamentary majority.
The NPP flagbearer highlighted that the judiciary remains one of the country’s most important democratic institutions, noting that any changes to its structure should be approached with transparency, inclusiveness and careful consideration.
Dr Bawumia further urged him to delay assent and instead open the door for nationwide dialogue.
The former vice president stated, “The bill will soon be transmitted to the president for his assent, and I have one respectful request of President Mahama. Mr President, do not assent to this bill. Pause and let the nation ponder and deliberate on this very important matter.
“This is not a partisan request. The Trades Union Congress and the voice of millions of Ghanaian workers have called for the bill to be withdrawn, warning that in its current form, it could become a potent tool for weaponising justice delivery.
“Those are the words of Ghanaian workers, not of any political party. Consider also the government’s own process. The president established the Constitution Review Committee, and it recommended removing regional tribunals from the constitution because the High Court has long carried their case loads.”
“My call is simple and constructive: withhold your assent. Convene genuine national engagement. Invite the Ghana Bar Association and other lawyer groups, Organised Labour, CSOs and the political parties, including my own, and we will come in good faith and consult the judiciary itself.
“Justice belongs to no government and no party; it belongs to the Ghanaian people, and a law that reshapes the architecture of justice should rest on national consensus and not a headcount”.
“Mr President, the pen is in your hand; use it not to assent to this bill but to write an invitation to the nation.”
Watch the video below:
@ghnow_ Bawumia cautions Mahama against reinstating regional tribunals.
♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ The victory was very important to the neighborhood prophet, Ghanaians die am
♬ original sound – Miracal ther funnyboy🤣
