Apologise and don’t do it again – Arthur Kennedy to Chief Justice over SOE comments

Dr Arthur Kennedy, a political activist, physician, and social commentator, has urged Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to apologize for his recent comments during visits to state-owned enterprises and to refrain from making similar remarks in the future. Kennedy believes the Chief Justice's remarks during his recent tour of institutions like the Minerals Income Investment Fund and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust were inappropriate and potentially damaging to the judiciary's reputation.

The Chief Justice has faced criticism for praising the performance of these public institutions, leading to a debate over the propriety of political commentary by the head of the Judiciary. Kennedy criticized both supporters of the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress for their selective outrage in this matter, accusing them of hypocrisy.

He emphasized that the Chief Justice's role is to uphold the dignity of his position and to ensure the judiciary's neutrality, suggesting that his recent conduct was below the dignity of his office and reflected poorly on him and the Judiciary. Kennedy urged the Chief Justice to acknowledge the concerns raised by his comments, apologize, and commit to not repeating such behavior.

He cautioned the Chief Justice to be mindful of the impact his public statements can have on public perceptions of the Judiciary as a whole. The Judicial Service has acknowledged the mixed public reaction to the Chief Justice's recent engagements, stating that his comments were made in good faith and were not meant to undermine judicial independence.

However, the service did not announce an apology or retract the Chief Justice's remarks. Kennedy's intervention has added to calls for the Chief Justice to exercise more caution in his public commentary, particularly when his remarks could be perceived as favoring one political administration over another.