By L. Kojo Yeboah
“The length of the frog will be truly seen on the day it dies,” Akan Proverb for President Kufour.
Ghana’s former President, John Agyekum Kufour, was exemplary presidential between December 7, 2008 and January 3, 2009 when Dr. Afari Gyan officially announced Professor Mills had won the election. He (President Kufour) was solid as a rock, cool as a cucumber, calm as the Dead Sea while the tempest of electoral uncertainty, accusation of voter intimidation and fraud rolled like billows.
That was vintage Kufour, the gentle giant with steady hands on mother Ghana’s ruder as he ignored calls to precipitous action from many including former President John Jerry Rawlings, his fire brand predecessor. Ghanaians who love the Kufour brand should cherish the picture of those 27 days, especially now that other images portraying him as an unscrupulous self seeking egoistic ex-President are hitting the canvas.
President Kufour it turns out presided over a BROKE GHANA according to the World Bank. His last two years in office, characterized by a Sadam Hussein like desire to leave his name on everything Ghanaian, is turning out to be disastrously expensive for Ghana. His excesses including the list below, bled Ghana dry. --- Ghana @ 50; a bloated $60 million affair to showcase Kufour and his crony chiefs. --- Presidential Palace; $176 million price tag instead of the $36 million figure given to Ghanaians. ---EX-Gratia package; insulting, infuriating, impossible parting Gift of wasteful $ millions.
“If you don’t know death, look at sleep,” Akan Proverb for President Mills?
The mystery surrounding the approval of the Kufour’s Ex-Gratia Award, brings into sharp focus President Mills’ style of leadership. Is the Peace King, Asomdwe hene John Evans Atta Mills, taking a cue from Kufour with his silence or is he already failing Ghanaians with his inaction? Is he silently looking at his own fat retirement 4 or 8 years down the road while Kufour takes the blame for its unpopularity? Is this A CASE OF MONKEY DEY WORK, BABOON DEY CHOP?
The 1992 Constitution has a 3 step Process in place for the passage of the Ex-Gratia Award. (1) A committee is empaneled to make recommendation to the government. (2) Parliament examines the recommendation and approves the package. (3) A sitting President assents to the bill for it to become law. Ghanaians know the first two steps have taken place in the Kufour capricious Ex-Gratia Package. (1) The Chinery Hesse Committee made the recommendations. (2) Parliament drunkenly approved it. What about the third and final step? But wait, the constitution also requires that Bills passed be published in the Gazette on the day of their passage. Is this Bill Law? Is it in the Gazette already?
According to article 106, clauses 7 and 8 of the Constitution, the President has a maximum of 7 days to assent to a bill and 14 days to provide an explanation to the Speaker of Parliament if he refuses to assent or inform the Speaker that the Bill has been referred to the Council of State. If the Bill got Parliamentary approval on January 6, then the 7 day requirement for Presidential assent passed on January 12. President Mills had at least 6 days from the day of his inauguration to act on the Bill if Kufour did not assent to it. The 14 day requirement for notifying the Speaker of a refusal to assent, passed on January 20. So what is happening Professor, Mr. President Mills?
If Kufor assented to the Bill before leaving office then President Mills can send it back to Parliament with his refusal to implement, reasons for the refusal and his recommendations to the house. The ball is squarely in President’s Mills court and Ghanaians and the media should focus attention on him and not on Kufour or Parliament. The constitution is clear, President Mills either implements the “obscene bill of privileges” if it has a Presidential assent or send it back to Parliament with a refusal note. If no President has assented to the Bill, then President Mill should explain why he HAS NOT KEPT THE OATH HE JUST SWORE. He cannot sit on the fence and watch as this plays out in public.
Ever since he took office, President Mills has been avoiding the hard decisions. First there was the Pay Increases President Kufour dumped on him to implement. President Mills knows that the State is not in the condition to honor the 16% to 30% Pay raises but he is keeping mute over the issue and leaving others to maneuver around the provision. The Pay Raise is a Kufour Executive order. Mills can suspend or repeal it with his own executive order. He can at least talk to Ghanaians about it. The President should have given a speech asking for time to audit the books of the country first. Ghanians are understandingly patient but cannot wait for ever on his inaction.
It is heart warming to read that Hon S. Bagbin and co are planning to take up the Ex-Gratia Bill again in Parliament when they resume on Monday the 27th. But does the constitution permit this when the disgraceful Ex-Gracia Award is supposed to be on the President’s desk for action? Will Parliament be repealing a law or making a new one? Any new Bill if not referred by the President will have to linger in Committee Procedure for days and months before coming to the full house as stipulated by the constitution. That will take up precious time. Has Bagbin and co got a different plan? The President can make things go much quicker. The constitution permits him to ram BILLS through Parliament.
The Presidency is not a job for the squeamish. Somebody, please tell the Peace King, Asomdwe hene that he was hired by Ghanaians to make tough decisions. The country is evaluating him and thus far his score card does not look impressive. He should GET OF THE WALL and HIT THE FLOOR RUNNING.
PS: This article is being written on Jan 24 2009. Facts discussed here may change before any website publishes it. BY L. Kojo Yeboah Raleigh, NC USA