Business executive and former Unilever Executive Vice President, Yaw Nsarkoh, is calling for a broader national conversation on justice.
He warns that the debate has become trapped in legal technicalities while real social outcomes are ignored.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, he argued that justice must move beyond courtroom language and legal science to address poverty, suffering and development.
“The media have played a part in that as well; the rule of law is very important, don’t get me wrong,” he said.
“If you’re going to have a disciplined society, you have to have a rule of law.”
However, he cautioned that public discourse has tilted too heavily toward what he describes as over-legalisation.
“But you just tune into any station, and everywhere we are talking about the technicalities of legal science without coupling it to what real impact we are looking for in society, how that is going to drive real development?”
He acknowledged the importance of legal procedure but questioned whether process alone delivers justice.
“Now the technicalities of legal science may be important, but the reason why the entire process for the delivery of administrative justice exists is to deliver justice in society.”
He then posed a stark question about outcomes.
“So if you have all the technicalities of legal science in place, which are necessary, but you have 20% of your population living in extreme poverty, is that justice?”
“If you have all the suffering and misery that is around us, is that justice?”
For him, real justice cannot be left to lawyers alone.
“If you are going, therefore, to deliver real justice, it is not a matter that can be left to the legal experts; you need all the other disciplines involved.”
He was quick to clarify that he does not support attacks on the legal profession.
“The lawyers have a role. I don’t participate in that conversation that demonises them.”
But he insists other voices must be part of the conversation.
“But so do the sociologists, so do the philosophers, so do the peasants who are living their experiences.”
He questioned why those perspectives are often absent from national discourse.
“Where is that conversation taking place?”
Nsarkoh also criticised the media’s heavy focus on legal jargon, arguing that it alienates ordinary citizens.
“But look at the amount of time that our media spends on the technicalities of legal science, which itself excludes many people because we are using such esoteric language that the ordinary people in the streets don’t even understand what you’re talking about.”
His comments add to ongoing discussions about governance, accountability and social equity, as the country grapples with economic hardship and widening inequality.
For Nsarkoh, justice must be measured not only by adherence to legal procedure but by tangible improvements in people’s lives.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com
