By Morkporkpor Anku
Accra, Oct. 9, GNA – Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo says despite Ghana’s stable democracy in Africa, some significant challenges and issues, which undermine and reverse its progress, need to be addressed.
These challenges raise questions concerning a culture of fairness, social justice, and the responsibility of the government and the entire society to ensure equal opportunities for all citizens.
Chief Justice Torkornoo was speaking at the National Leadership Conference of the Christian Council of Ghana on the theme: ” Ethical Leadership and National Transformation” in Accra.
The National Leadership Conference 2023 was held in collaboration with the All-Africa Conference of Churches.
She said these economic and socio-political advancements reflected the collective engagement of the people and a commitment to equality, justice, and inclusivity.
The Chief Justice said addressing these issues required strong ethical and moral leadership, accountability, and a commitment to transparency.
She said it required a comprehensive approach involving political leaders, the Judiciary, traditional leaders, civil society engagement, public awareness, and the church as the moral conscience of the country, shaping our society’s values, beliefs, and ethical standards.
Regarding the Judiciary, Justice Torkornoo said the constitutional mandate under Article 125 of the 1992 Constitution to administer justice, required the Judiciary to maintain and enforce the highest standards of ethical conduct in the nation on one hand, and uphold the innate need of the human soul for justice, on the other hand.
She said Justice was a sine qua non for peace, stability, and quality of life in any nation.
“A nation that loses interest in the rule of law and delivery of justice, is one that sets itself up for destruction,” she added.
She said, therefore, a quest for national development required investment in developing the foundations of justice in our nation.
She said there could be no national development without peace, and there could be no peace, unless people were assured that their rights would be protected, and that their political, social, traditional, and religious leaders would lead them to a better tomorrow.
The Right Reverend Dr Hilliard K. DELA Dogbe, the Chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana, said the ethics and morals of leaders in Ghana played a vital role in the development of our nation.
He said moral decadence among religious, traditional, political, and even student leaders, had brought grave adverse consequences to our nation and contributed to the setbacks in the economic and social development of our country.
“I am convinced that the transformation we seek for our nation will come when we prioritize ethical leadership,” he added.
He said without a conscious effort to prioritize ethics and moral values in our schools, churches, homes, governance and public lives, the country would not see the needed transformation.
The increase in corrupt practices, the politics of insults, the vandalism among students and political party adherents, the immoral acts in churches and the like, could be traced to lack of moral values in the social fabric and ethical leadership.
“At this conference, we shall also look at the role of the Church in its engagement with the State and end the day with a panel discussion on the Christian and National politics, ” he said.
GNA