The Soul of President Mills

Historians believe that every President is defined by his or her response to a particular event or circumstance. The response to the event or challenge tells us about the person behind the public mask. It shows us simply, not a President but a person. Sometimes, the picture is positive. Sometimes, it is negative. Indeed, for some there are both defining positive images as well as negative ones.

Thus, in my view, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was defined, significantly, by how he permitted the old and sick J.B. Danquah to die in prison. Just to make sure that history would not miss that message, he did the same with Obetsebi-Lamptey too. It defined him as a great man who lacked compassion.

Dr. Kofi Busia's willingness to dialogue with South Africa defined him as a principled man unreasonably committed to the principle of dialogue. He was too far ahead of his time. It would be nearly a quarter-century before Dr. Busia's vision of a multi-racial South Africa would be realized.

Gen. Kutu Acheampong was defined by his steadfast refusal to shed blood. He was a decent soldier who was out of his depth in the affairs of state.

Ft. Lt. Jeremiah Rawlings showed us his soul when he celebrated the death of the judges, including Cecilia Koranteng Addow in 1982. They had been killed because they freed AFRC convicts and their execution was punishment to them and a warning to others. It revealed him as a vengeful person.

Dr. Hilla Limann revealed his soul when he asked the National Security Forces to “stop following Jato Rawlings” because “he is harmless”. The man who Dr. Limann thought was harmless ended up overthrowing him. Dr. Limann turned out to be a decent man who was rather naïve about the realities of politics and security.

John Agyekum Kufuor showed us his soul when he awarded himself the nation's highest honour. It was not that he did not deserve that honour. He did but to award it to himself showed that the man who had been celebrated so long for his propriety had lost his touch.

Now, all these leaders did good things; some more than others but these incidents lifted the veil and told us who they were, not as Presidents, but as men.

Since President Mills assumed the Presidency, many have insisted that despite the bad things happening all around, the President is a good man. That argument, of course, is a curious one. As one of my Nigerian friends said, “How can the leader of a band of armed Robbers claim that he is not an armed robber because he does not personally do robberies?”

Last week, the President finally revealed his soul and it was a disturbing portrait. In an interview with “DAILY GUIDE”, the President had a bit to say about our economy as well as the infamous Bureau of National Investigation (BNI). On the economy, the man who ran for President in 2000 defending the economy left in place by the Rawlings administration had this to say, “The economy we inherited was in very bad shape, with the domestic balance in the negative; this is a government which did not care about housekeeping, spending far in excess of what they were collecting. Our foreign reserves are gone. The economy is nothing to write home about.” It is difficult to reconcile the President's claims with the facts and we should leave the final judgment to the people who lived both under the NDC economy and the NPP one.

My real concern is what the President said about the BNI. On the performance of the BNI, the law Professor turned President had this to say, “I think they have done very well. We have always insisted on the institution acting within the law. I have said publicly that so long as they operate within the law, they will have my full support. So far, I have no cause for regret. I think they are doing very well and they should be encouraged to do so.”

The BNI has forcibly taken peoples' vehicles from them on the streets and the President thinks they are doing “very well”.

The BNI has denied Ghanaians under interrogation their right to legal counsel and the President thinks they are doing “very well”.

The BNI has forcibly taken people who have not been charged who were travelling off planes without court orders and the President thinks they are doing “very well”.

The BNI has seized the passports of Ghanaian citizens without cause and the President thinks they are doing “very well”.

This week, while the President was extolling the virtues of the BNI, a court spoke. It ruled that the BNI was acting unconstitutionally when it seized the passport of former Foreign Minister Osei Agyei.

The reason why the President's praise of the BNI should worry all of us is that the fate of the rule of law is at stake under the Presidency of Professor Mills. The key issue facing our country in the next four years is whether we can remain a nation of laws under the government of the NDC. Make no mistake about it, the biggest threat to the rule of law today is the BNI and the President should be reining them in instead of heaping praise on them while they brazenly disregard the rights of our citizens. I predict that the failure of this President to stand up for the rule of law will be the defining moment of his Presidency.

While the President has been derelict, where has the Attorney General been? She has not found it fit to chastise the errant BNI and assert the primacy of the rule of law. While the executive branch, led by the President has been cheerleading for the BNI, where has Parliament been? Why have they not summoned the BNI to Parliament to demand an explanation for these excesses and to firmly set limits for the BNI? Aside from the passage of laws, the most important responsibility of Parliament is executive oversight. They should start doing their job and reigning in the lawless BNI. Just in case any of them are inclined to turn a partisan blind eye to this, let me remind them that unchecked executive power can threaten the rights of all, including even those in power. In South Africa, when President Mbeki let loose the dogs of persecution on his Vice-President, Jacob Zuma, Mr Zuma was almost destroyed. In Nigeria, when President Obasanjo turned the investigative powers of government on his Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku, he was almost destroyed. No individual can take on the unchecked powers of a government bent on reckless persecution.

While the Executive and the Legislature has been asleep at the switch, the Judiciary has been the guardians at the gate, keeping the barbarians at bay. Our Judiciary has had its own bad moments, like disqualifying Kwame Pianim from running for the Presidency held by a two-time coup-maker on the grounds that he had been convicted of plotting a coup. Like taking four years to rule on whether the Parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso West Wugon had been properly elected when they knew that a Parliamentary term was four years. But for most of our history, the judiciary has fearlessly championed the rule of law. From setting free those accused of throwing bombs at Kulungugu through ruling for Sallah to forthrightly ruling on the propriety of celebrating June 4th, they have done their duty, time and time again.

Today, civil society must stand with them, against oppression. That is why it is sad that those who used to march for Tsatsu against the Castle now go to the Castle to drink tea while such gross violations are going on.

All of us, as Ghanaians, must stand up for the rights of Asamoah Boateng and all the others whose rights are under assault regardless of whether we like them or not. Whether we like them or not, their rights are our rights and restrictions on their freedom are precedents that will make possible restrictions on our freedom. We must fight, to make this country, a country of laws, not of men. The President, if he is true to his calling as a lawyer should be leading this fight. But if he refuses to lead it, it should and will be fought nevertheless. Let it not be said that he has been around dictators and tyrants so long that he has become one.

May God bless our President and our country.
Let us all, including the President, find the strength to not only sing but to live by the words of our National Anthem:

“God bless our homeland Ghana,
And make our nation great and strong,
Bold to defend forever
The cause of freedom and of Right,
Fill our hearts with true humility
Make us cherish fearless honesty,
And help us to resist oppressors' rule
With all our will and might for evermore!!!”
Let us move forward, together.

Credit: Arthur Kobina Kennedy
Email: arkoke@aol.com

   Comments0