Avoid abuse of power, uphold justice- Leaders told

By Joyce Danso

Accra, July 01, GNA – Most Reverend Professor Johnson Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, a Presbyterian Minister at the Accra Ridge Church, has called on Ghanaian leaders to resist the abuse of power and uphold justice in service to the poor and vulnerable.

Delivering a sermon at the 43rd Anniversary Remembrance Service in honour of the three High Court Judges murdered on June 30, 1982, he said God punishes those who pervert justice and abuse power.

Rev. Prof. Asamoah-Gyadu urged leaders to use power for good, warning against self-interest and deception

He said power was meant to flourish, maintain good, and bring about change in the lives of the poor and vulnerable.

Criticising trends in the media, Rev. Prof. Asamoah-Gyadu noted “Ghana these days has what I call ‘stomach-directed prophets’…

“Instead of people speaking the truth about events, they would prefer to be radio political apparatchiks.”

He said the executive, judiciary, and other leaders were often involved in the perversion of justice, adding that selfishness and dishonesty continued to undermine the country’s development.

Rev. Prof. Asamoah-Gyadu described the abduction and murder of the judges as “horrendous, senseless, wicked and callous.”

“What happened… occurred because some people decided to have their own way.”

He expressed hope that the victims’ families had found strength to forgive and move forward.

Rev. Prof. Asamoah-Gyadu lamented the lack of national recognition of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) and Judiciary Martyrs Day, stating: “There should be national monuments in honour of the judges so their history could be told to all children.”

“Unfortunately, as a nation, we seem not to learn from the dark chapters of political and legal history because of the infantile and lack of maturity,” he said, adding that such commemorations might make some people uncomfortable.

Encouraging a renewed focus on moral values, Rev. Prof. Asamoah-Gyadu said: “Good is compassionate, cheerful and not moody, uplifting and not cynical… Good preserves and is not murderous.”

“If something is good, it is generally described as acceptable, that what is good is healthy. Good brings change, satisfaction and laughter,” he said.

He urged all citizens—especially lawyers and judges—to “rise up and be counted as pursuing justice, love and kindness,” reminding them that “love never insisted for its own.”

GNA

Edited by Kenneth Sackey