There’s been lots of controversy following the sentencing to four months imprisonment of the Montie three.

Many of you have either hailed or condemned the verdict. Well, since that is your democratic right, I will not comment on its relevance. My focus this week is the pressure being mounted on the president to exercise his prerogative of mercy under Article 72 of the constitution.

Why must we engage in an act that could only lead to a scar on our global image. I know there are many of you who would argue that it is their right and thus must be respected. However, hold on one minute and ask yourself these questions; what sort of signal would we be sending to other political and social commentators? Can they go ahead and make derogatory remarks so people start campaigns to get them out of jail if they are sentenced?  Are we now saying that the president can just grant an individual pardon if he disagrees with the sentencing of a court? What would that mean for our young democracy?

So you see why I believe this whole pressure on the president John Mahama is unnecessary. Having visited Nsawam Prison and listened to comments from ex-convicts, I agree that Ghana’s prison is simply a place you wouldn’t wish for even your worst enemy. That notwithstanding, we must allow the laws of the land to work. We must respect the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. How would the judiciary feel if these people are granted pardon? Wouldn’t that amount to undermining the Judiciary’s independence and integrity?

In April this year, I spoke to Major General Henry Anyidoho, who was head of Ghana’s delegation to Rwanda during the genocide. One thing he said was the need to channel our energies into the productive sectors of the economy. I totally agree with him. You see we have been talking about this sentence for the past six days. However, we have totally ignored the challenges facing our economy. How many of us are discussing the supplementary budget which was presented to parliament last week? I guess only a few are.

This is certainly not the way to go. We need to focus on the things that matter to the development of our dear nation. We need to focus our attention on the things that will help build this nation. Is pardoning these three men the most pressing need facing us as a country? Certainly not.

In building a nation, we must learn to direct our energies to the key sectors of the economy. Rather than discussing personalities, let u discuss the issues. A developing country should be discussing economic indicators and other challenges such as the power situation, which is improving. But of course a total solution needs to be achieved. These are the things that need attention.

By Winston Amoah

The writer is host of ‘Sunrise’ on 3FM from Mondays to Fridays