A Political Science Lecturer Dr. Amoako Baah has described the decision by the President John Dramani Mahama to remit sentences of Montie trio as a ‘cowardly attempt’ to avoid responsibility.
The contemnors who were sentenced four months imprisonment each by the Supreme Court for threatening the lives of the Supreme Court Judges on a live political talk show on Accra based Montie FM, were ‘freed’ by the president yesterday upon a Council of State recommendations.
According to him, the president is saving his face by hiding behind the Council of State in ‘freeing’ the Contemnors.
He lashed out at President Mahama for remitting the sentences of the Montie trio who are languishing in the Nsawam Prisons.
He said President Mahama is trying to avoid being in the bad books of opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), hence his decision of handing over the petition to the Council of State for recommendations.
‘I said it on radio that there are two things, when he sent it to Council of State, they said free them, it means he Mahama did not free them, if they had said don’t free them it means he didn’t do it and that he is not in the bad books of NPP, It’s a cowardly attempt of avoiding responsibility, he is the president, the buck stops with him, he cannot pass it onto Council of State he decides, so this idea of Council of State is a just a white wash,’ he claimed.
He wondered why the President would commit such a blunder by repealing the Supreme Court order when his Lawyer has advised him against it, saying Ghanaians are now seeing the real Mahama.
Dr. Baah indicated that it was wrong on the part of the president not to revert the recommendations by Council of State.
Speaking on Ultimate Breakfast Show hosted by Lantam Papanko, he said the president cannot exclude himself from the decision taken, saying the Council of State do not have total control over the president.
The Political Science Lecturer indicated that though the president may have washed his hands off the case, he is still responsible.
‘He could have stopped it, but I don’t know why the President would do such a thing but am not surprised , I have said several times that we don’t know President Mahama, he has shown his character, his own lawyer Lithur advised him not to do it, some NDC bigwigs told him not to, but he did it, either ways, he wins, when the chief of staff accepted the petition, even if they come up with an idea, he has to decide, and so … he decided to do that, it’s just a white wash, if Jesus comes crucify him, I wash my hands off, what have they done, is there anything wrong, crucify him anyway. He is the only one who can stop it and he said give me support, you may have washed your hands but you are still responsible, they only give advice. I have no doubt that some members of Council of State would tell him don’t do this,’ he fumed.
Source: GhanaWeb
