Presidential Emolument And Retirement Benefits: Jm Relished In Kufour's Woes

Lately, former President John Dramani Mahama has been topical in the headline for whining profusely over his retirement benefits, what he believes is rightly his due.

It smacks of grave self-contradiction of a man who pretentiously calls for re-evaluation of the retirement packages of Article 71 office holders but sneakily requests a transition team for Bungalow No.3, Prestige Link, Cantonments, Accra and also requested to keep Bungalow No.6, 3rd Avenue, Ridge, Accra as office, despite the fact the Presidential Emoluments Committee report headed by Prof. Dora Francisca Edu-Buandoh did not include the two residences as his retirement benefit.

It is worthy chronicling the grim and cruel treatment meted out to President John Agyekum following his retirement by a government H.E John Dramani Mahama was the second in command and eventually the President.

With the coming into force of the 1992 Constitution, Article 71 (1) thereof provided a mechanism for determining, inter alia, the gratuities, emoluments and retirement benefits of outgoing Presidents, Vice Presidents and other political office holders.

Pursuant to the said article 71 (1) of the Constitution the President of Ghana at various times has set up Presidential Emoluments Committees to make recommendations for determining the salaries, allowances and retiring benefits if Article 71 holders.

In line with the article, the Greenstreet Committee was set up in 1993 and made recommendations under the Rawlings administration. President Kufuor respected the recommendations with former President Jerry John Rawlings and accorded President Rawlings a peaceful retirement. The Kufuor administration also set up the Chinery-Hesse committee which also made its recommendations in 2008.

In a show of bad faith, the Mills-Mahama administration rancorously rejected the Chinery-Hesse Committee Report, unconstitutional move that was calculated to embarrass Former President John Agyekum Kufuor. As if that was not enough, then National Security Co-ordinator, Col. Larry Gbevlo Lartey, orchestrated the daylight ejection of President Kufuor from state facility at Osu which he intended using as his post-retirement office. His possession of any state facility was immediately stymied through a marauding mob.

President Mahama's chosen response to the thoughtless treatment of the outgone President at the time was a loud silence which suggested some subtle orchestration. In the Nazi's holocaust, a man who found comfort to keep silent when the jews where be taken because he was not a jew will not find anybody to talk for him when they finally come for him.

Abdallah Abdul Matin.