Economist and development activist, Dr Kofi Amoah, has expressed strong disapproval of Ghana’s 8th Parliament’s decision to abolish the death sentence in the country.
The outspoken businessman believes that the presence of the death penalty served as a deterrent to those who may seek to harm the nation or engage in heinous acts within society.
In his view, the abolition of the death penalty creates a conducive environment for increased corruption and violence.
According to Dr. Amoah, a more appropriate course of action for Ghana’s parliament would have been to review and refine the existing death penalty law, ensuring that it serves its intended purpose rather than completely abolishing it.
Writing on his verified Twitter handle, Dr Amoah said, “Instead of reviewing to strengthen the country’s death penalty laws to become credible deterrent of corruption, Parliament wants Ghana to be counted among the world’s countries who have abolished the death penalty … SMH.”
Dr. Kofi Amoah firmly asserts that Ghana’s decision to abolish the death penalty was not driven by any external pressure from a development partner. He believes that Ghana, with its unique challenges, should have retained such laws in its legal framework. In a tweet regarding the abolition of the death penalty, Dr. Amoah emphasized that the country’s specific circumstances warranted the continued existence of these laws in Ghana’s statute books.
“Parliament is wrong with the abolition of the death penalty in Ghana. Corruption and corruption-related offenses are KILLING Ghana, big time!
And this has also created a culture of “get-rich-quick-by-any-means”, poisoning the indispensable essence of honesty and hard work that are necessary for the advancement of any society.
Instead of reviewing to strengthen the country’s death penalty laws to become a credible deterrent of corruption, Parliament wants Ghana to be counted among the world’s countries that have abolished the death penalty … SMH.
Do we really appreciate the challenges Ghana faces and the areas of governance we must differ so that we can also make progress and catch up with the “developed world” we wish to compare ourselves to?
A new progressive Parliament and Prez must propose more robust Death Penalty Laws for larger public discussion and adoption. We must remove the cancer that is killing our dreams for PROGRESS!!”
The decision by parliament earlier this week to abolish the death penalty means Ghana joins a long list of African countries that have done so in recent years.
The country currently has 170 men and six women on death row, whose sentences will now be replaced by life imprisonment. The last execution took place in 1993.
Execution has been the mandatory sentence for murder in Ghana.
PARLIAMENT IS WRONG WITH THE ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY IN GHANA
— CitizenKofi (@amoah_citizen) July 26, 2023
Corruption and corruption- related offenses are KILLING Ghana, big time!
And this has also created a culture of
“get-rich-quick-by-any-means”, poisoning the indispensable essence of honesty and hard-work that… https://t.co/7M8ii1CSAH