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27.02.2009 Feature Article

Shut up, it's the President's Prerogative!!!

Shut up, it's the President's Prerogative!!!
27.02.2009 LISTEN

“If you come to class late, I would show you where the power lies”. This was a slogan of one of my teachers when I was a student in Mawuli School. I did not take heed to these warnings because he never carried them out even once. His demeanor made me to believe then that, no power lies anywhere.

Unfortunately, ex- President Kufuor proved me wrong completely when he really showed that, real power lies somewhere called the presidency. He did so by sacking without explanation, young, promising and dynamic Dan Kweku Botwe from his Government.

To further demonstrate that presidential prerogative, Mr. Kufuor re-engaged Dr.Richard Anane (who could not control his sexual libido) after the Alexandria O'Brian brouhaha.

Mr. Kufuor's presidential defense team, I mean government spokespersons, only said “it is the president's prerogative”

At that juncture, I came to the realization that, presidential prerogative is like a two edged sod. It can make and unmake, raise one and lower another, kill and make alive and in fact, it can possibly turn a man into a woman.

What else apart from presidential prerogative, would have made clueless and naïve “Mama Zita” who could not tell a vetting committee her academic qualification nor be able to prepare a simple curriculum vitae, a Minister of information in God's own Ghana?

If not for presidential prerogative, how would ignorant “Papa Kwao Amoanor” who could not also tell the vetting committee, the unemployment rate in Ghana get such a sensitive job as the Minster for Employment and Social welfare?

But you see, it is the same presidential prerogative of the ex-president, that engaged the hands of intelligent and hardworking late Baah-Wiredu and many fine others in the NPP regime. That same prerogative has been used by His Excellency Atta Mills to appoint very dynamic and young Ghanaians such as Haruna Iddrisu, Fiifi Kwetey, Hannah Tetteh and intelligent and experienced Dr. Yankee and many others to positions of trust.

I hope you would now agree with me that, presidential prerogative can kill and give life. Have you already forgotten Mr. Kufuor's last-minute pardon to our jailed friends including the indefatigable law prodigy, Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata and many others? That is what that monster called president's prerogative can do.

Do you now appreciate why almost eighteen individuals contested to become flag-bearer of NPP? They know how sweeping the powers are.

Dear reader, should you get the second chance to come into this world, I would encourage you to plead with God Almighty to destine you to become President of Ghana.

With that, you can order all of us around like fools. Should a fly perch on you, the place would be cordoned off to safeguard your life but more importantly your actions would warrant no explanation no matter how whimsical and capricious they may seem.

You can be assured that if you sneeze, we would all catch cold. Lol!!!

God help us all.

Author: Nunya Akumey-Affizie [E-mail: [email protected]]

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