The National Coordinator of the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP), Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, has criticised the Minority in Parliament over their handling of the petition against Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, describing their approach as premature and driven by a desire for attention.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Thursday, April 17, Vanderpuye suggested that the Minority’s eagerness to weigh in on the matter reflects their limited political scope.
“I think that they are too much in haste to be relevant, because of their micro nature. They are too much in haste to make themselves heard,” he said.
He urged them to allow the constitutional processes to unfold without interference, insisting that any judgment on the Chief Justice should be based on outcomes and not on premature public commentary.
“I will tell them to allow the constitutional process to engage itself fully, and when it has run its full toll, then we shall all know whether Chief Justice Torkornor has a case or not,” he added.
Commenting on the Chief Justice herself, Vanderpuye admitted to having a mixed perception.
“I have a lot of respect for the Chief Justice. Sometimes you see her and she portrays an angelic face, other times something else. The things some of us hear and some of the people like me have picked up from some of the people who are close to the judicial system will tell you that all that glitters is not gold.
“She is not as saintly as some of us have perceived her to be. I will not sit here and prejudge her, but I will give her the benefit of the doubt and sit here and believe that the things that I have heard about her and how she behaves were not true.”
Vanderpuye further claimed that the Minority’s moves were too predictable, suggesting their political actions lacked strategy.
“What I want them to understand is that as soon as they start thinking, we have already thought about the steps they will take. Because they are very predictable and so they allow you to determine what action they will take in every instant,” he said.
