The Republic's Latest Drama: A Tale of Gold, Grief, and the new CJ
By Dr. Ato Kwamena Danso · 24 September 2025 · Politics
I know it's been a while since I updated you on the happenings in the Republic. I just spent a glorious, albeit brief, time back home, catching up with family, friends, and folks from yesteryear. The experience was a delightful return to basics. I was awoken each morning by the rousing call of a cock, and I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh evening breeze. Of course, the nights were occasionally interrupted by the buzz of a mosquito, whether a female or not, I can't be sure and I, like any Ghanaian, blamed any feeling of uneasiness on its bite, promptly diagnosing myself with malaria. A lot has happened since my last letter. Asanteman successfully laid the queen mother to rest amidst a splendid display of culture. It was an event so grand and so perfectly captured that it was a reminder that social media can, occasionally, be a force for good. The saga of the former Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, continues. It seems she's not content with just losing her job; she's back in court, armed with a constitutional loophole. She argues that her role as Chief Justice was merely administrative, and the president lacks the authority to remove her as a Supreme Court judge under the current constitution. The irony, of course, is delicious: the very Supreme Court she once headed will now hear her case. Justice Baffoe-Bonnie has been named the new Chief Justice. He's the senior-most justice on the bench and seems to have all the qualities to lead. Let's hope his tenure is less dramatic and more focused on, you know, justice. The debate over our perpetually polluted water bodies has taken a truly surreal turn. While we've all been busy fighting the good fight against galamsey, President Mahama has apparently had a political epiphany. In a stunning reversal, he's now suggesting that instead of battling the gold dredgers, we should embrace the new national mantra: "If you can't beat them, join them... or at least profit from them."This is quite the shift for the man who, as the opposition leader, practically begged Ghanaians for a chance to save our rivers. It seems the lure of the gold is stronger than the memory of his own impassioned speeches. Perhaps he's found a way to filter the gold out of the mud and sell it, turning our environmental disaster into an economic opportunity. The irony, of course, is as thick as the polluted water he once swore to protect. The tragic loss of eight gallant men in the helicopter crash near Obuasi must serve as a stark and urgent reminder to the president to redouble his efforts in the fight against galamsey. If their deaths do not prompt decisive action, then their sweet lives will have been lost in vain. The cedi, on the other hand, is in a state of utter suffocation against the dollar, gasping for air with each passing day. The Finance Minister, it seems, has chosen this precise moment to stage a disappearance act. Sincerely, Ato_KD