CURING THE DELIBERATE AMNESIA OF OCCUPY GHANA – #FREEMONTIE3_NOW

The #FreeMontie3_Now movement that has been established by friends and sympathizers of the Montie 3 have issued a scathing attack on the organisers of Occupy Ghana for ridiculing their efforts to seek presidential pardon for the incarcerated journalist and his two panelists.

The Movement in a Press Release copied to GhanaPoliticsOnline.com expressed disappointment in the attack of Occupy Ghana and questioned why the occupiers failed to factor the principle of checks and balances in their statement, and instead limiting themselves to the principle of Separation of Powers.

Below is the full statement .

We have read with much surprise and angst, a press statement attributed to Occupy Ghana, in which that bourgeoisie group of champagne politicians sought to attack our advocacy for fairness and justice, in the matter of the journalist and social commentators jailed on Wednesday 27th July, 2016.

Reading through the statement, we identified a deliberate and wicked effort to avoid the principle of CHECKS AND BALANCES when they (Occupy Ghana) referred to the principle of Separation of Powers. We saw that these elitists group of politicians (disguised as advocates) were deliberately trying to deceive unsuspecting Ghanaians, that besides Separation of Powers, there is no other principle, hence smartly avoiding the sister maxim of CHECKS AND BALANCES.

FreeMontie3_Now will not spend time to educate Occupy Ghana on the prudence for which CHECKS AND BALANCES as a principle of governance is enshrined in all democratic constitutions of which the 1992 constitution of Ghana is no exception.

Fellow Ghanaians, it is for a time such as this, when the country is witnessing the capricious judicial abuse, judiciary being unnecessarily high handed, excessively intolerant, and extremely harsh, that the framers of the constitution promulgated Article 72.

We are therefore wondering the solution that these champagne drinking politicians will profess in a time, when a country is suffering from JUDICIARY ARBITRARINESS. They have none. They only know of SEPARATION OF POWERS.

Lastly, we have noted the threat by these bourgeoisie politicians that they will go to the Supreme Court to seek a reversal of Article 72, should that law be activated by the President of the Republic.

As much as it is funny and synonymous to the behavior of a belligerent child at a toy shop, we dare Occupy Ghana to do their worse in this circumstance.

We wish to assure every Ghanaian, that our forebears knew that there will be a time such as this, when there will be the need to check excesses of the judiciary. Yes they were wise enough to see through the ages. And it is for such reason, that the President of Ghana (like in many democratic countries) is given the quasi Judicial power to exercise the Prerogative of Mercy, when the need arise, in consultation with the Council of State.

We are therefore committed to peaceful and judicious processes to seek public support against the harsh custodial sentencing of people who exercise their fundamental rights to make public speeches.

We are of the view that a limited ban from public speaking, a bond of good behavior, a fine, and other non custodial sentencing is the appropriate punishment for people who offend our laws when expressing their views on national issues.

This is the more reason we say, PUNISH ME, BUT PLEASE DON’T JAIL ME FOR MY SPEECH.

Thank you.

Benjamin Essuman (Member)
Onasis Kobby (Member)
Stephen Attuh (Member)
Patricia Addy (Member)
Julius Logass (Member)
Dzifa Gunu (Member)