Speaker, CJ call for clean leadership...in the New Year

Spread, Jan 1, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah & Mabel Aku Baneseh
THE leadership of the Judiciary and the Legislature has urged Ghanaians, especially those in leadership positions, to act responsibly and do away with corrupt practices in the new year.
In their New Year messages to Ghanaians, Mrs Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, the Chief Justice, and Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes, the Speaker of Parliament, exhorted Ghanaians to put the interest of the country first in all their dealings.
Mrs Justice Wood noted that Ghana had got to the stage where it needed hardworking and dedicated citizens to move the country to the next threshold of its development.
She reminded Ghanaians that God rewarded hard work, adding, “We should all work hard to move our dear nation forward.”
She said “having prayed and invited God into our lives does not mean we should fold our arms and not work”, in apparent reference to Ghanaians attending watch night services,
The Chief Justice further stated that because God rewarded hard work, Ghanaians would be greatly rewarded if they put the interest of the country first in all their dealings.
“The God we serve is an awesome God. He will fight our battles and frustrate the plans of our enemies and those who doubt Ghana will make it,” Mrs Justice Wood pointed out.
Such a feat, she stated, depended on “our actions and inaction”, adding that Ghanaians must put God first in everything and “Ghana will surely succeed in the coming years”.
Mrs Justice Wood also pleaded with Ghanaians to treat one another justly in their actions.
Touching on her plans for the Judicial Service next year, the Chief Justice disclosed that the service would witness massive infrastructural development in the new year.
“Infrastructural and technological development will be our major works in 2008,” she pointed out.
She said the modernisation of the courts would be expanded, while more districts courts would be set up to realise the goal of ensuring that each district in the country had a court.
Mrs Justice Wood intimated that it was important that people were made to enjoy speedy justice delivery, without having to walk long distances to access justice.
She further stated that the capacity of judges and judicial staff would also be built as part of the plans to improve justice delivery in Ghana to the satisfaction of all.
The Speaker of Parliament urged politicians contesting the 2008 elections to conduct their campaigns based on the manifestos of their parties, instead of focusing on their opponents.
He said nothing should be done to disturb the peace and tranquillity the country was enjoying by way of some politicians attempting to gain advantage over their opponents.
Mr Sekyi Hughes said the electorate also had the duty to analyse the manifestos of the various political parties and vote for the parties of their choice based on issues and the track record of the parties.
On his expectations of Members of Parliament (MPs) in the final session of the Fourth Parliament, Mr Sekyi Hughes said he expected MPs to be regular and punctual.
The Speaker thanked staff of the Parliamentary Service, the leadership of Parliament and the entire 230 MPs for working hard to end the Third Session of the Fourth Parliament successfully and expressed the hope that the MPs would return to the House to begin the next session with renewed strength and commitment.
He also urged the Ghanaian working public to work hard to ensure the rapid growth of the economy.
Mr Sekyi Hughes asked the youth to take advantage of the introduction of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) to be employed in order to fend for themselves.
On his tenure of office as the third Speaker of the Fourth Republic, he said the job had been very interesting, adding, “I have performed my duties impartially, though I may not be 100 per cent perfect, human as I am.”
Mr Sekyi Hughes said he had not regretted for accepting to be the Speaker, which was his first public office, saying that the challenges associated with the work had enabled him to gain a lot of experience.