Ghana Bar Association now a toothless bulldog – Amaliba

Abraham Amaliba, Director of Conflict Resolution for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), argues that the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) discriminates against the opposition NDC and supports the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Some have said that the GBA has gone mute and has neglected to remark on some events during the NPP administration, while being loud during the previous administrations of John Evans Atta Mills and John Mahama.

Yaw Acheampong Boafo, President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), has stated that Ghana’s legal system runs freely and without bias.

Mr. Boafo noted that the GBA is dedicated to preserving justice and fairness ideals for all political parties and citizens, including the NDC.

“No one can tell me that the Bar has treated the NDC under President Mills or Mahama worse than under the current president,” he said.

However, speaking at the 3rd Annual Lawyers Conference of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Saturday, September 2, Amaliba chastised the Bar for ignoring the oppressed in Ghanaian society, emphasizing that the organization had become a “toothless bulldog.”

“We need the Bar, to be protective of the voiceless, the marginalized and the downtrodden, Ghana Bar has abandoned all of these. The Bar, in my view, has become a toothless bulldog. The President of the Bar [Yaw Acheampong Boafo] said the last time that they don’t discriminate against NDC lawyers, but I think that they discriminate in favor of NPP lawyers,” he pointed out.

He underlined the need of attorneys reaching out to society’s most vulnerable members, referencing the military assault of Ashaiman.

He urged NDC attorneys to rise up and become advocates for the voiceless.

“The next step is to begin to make statements in support of these people in society. For instance, the brutalization at Ashaiman, the legal team should have filled the void in those areas and I think that is the next step we should all look at,” he urged.