Constitutionalism must hold together societal needs - Justice Kulendi
“As a country, we must recognize the fact that constitutionalism does not merely exist from the size of our Parliament, the number of judges at the Supreme Court, or the color of the police uniform.”
A Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi JSC has intimated the need for constitutionalism to be beneficial to the ordinary people in the society.
According to him, constitutionalism must not merely exist but ought to hold the needs of the people together.
“As a country, we must recognize the fact that constitutionalism does not merely exist from the size of our Parliament, the number of judges at the Supreme Court, or the color of the police uniform.”
Delivering his Keynote speech at the RE-Akoto Memorial lecture organized by the SRC of the Ghana School of Law on Monday, April 4, 2022, to launch the 62nd Law week on the theme: Constitutionalism-the case of Ghana, Justice Kulendi further indicated that we ought to consider or watch the purpose and quality of everything we undertake as a country, especially our laws.
He also said that constitutionalism is not practicalized merely per the number of lawyers called each year to the Bar but rather the quality of our laws and the effectiveness of their limitations on officials vis a vis their application by citizens, institutions, and courts.
“What is the quality of our laws and the constitution; are there any limitations on official power and authority?”. “What is the quality of such limitations, and to what extent are these limitations deployed by citizens and upheld by appropriate institutions and persons, including the court?”
Moreover, Justice Kulendi stressed the importance of human rights noting that in performing Judicial functions, it must be ensured that the same does not deny or delude the citizens of their hopes, optimism, or negatively affect good governance in the country.
