Is Ghana’s President Mills’ Unethically Negotiating Private Rental in the Country’s Name?

“Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon (ACCRA); lest the daughters of the Philistines (OPOSITION, NPP) rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph” – 2nd Samuel chapter 1 verses 20. Ghana's pious President Mills appears to have committed a grave unethical act!

On August 15 2011, the Daily Searchlight Newspaper of Ghana focused an incandescent beam on a building under construction behind Ghana's President John Atta Mills' private residence on Spintex Road Accra. The paper charged that the president was manifesting his “better Ghana” Agenda to Ghanaians by commissioning Regimanuel Gray Limited to build an ultra modern mansion for his personal use which was near completion.

Most Ghanaians were aghast with disbelief when this story broke. Like many of our countrymen, this author's mouth hung wide open in an incredulous: Oh No! Not President Mills, our country's only “incorruptible politician!” Readers may recall that the opposition NPP's Kwame Pianim testified on December 8 2009, that he had witnessed the president reject two envelopes with money. Praise the lord! Hallelujah!

ON THE PRESIDENT'S INCORRUPTIBILITY:
Questions still linger around Pianim's testimony of 2009. Why on earth will President Rawlings' vice President, NDC presidential candidate for 8 consecutive years and Ghana's current President Mills be 'palling around with the enemy' a prominent NPP big wit? How dump would the President be to accept envelopes from Pianim if the later was the briber?

If Pianim did not offer the envelopes, what are the odds that Pianim would visit Mills' office one day and two different people would come in to offer him envelopes with money? If Pianim observed these attempts to pass envelopes on two different visits to Mills' office then does that not establish a pattern? How many envelopes would have been offered when Pianim was not present? And by the way, how much money can an envelope contain? Could the President be bought so cheap?

The two official 'mouth pieces' of the Presidency, Koku Anyidoho and Deputy Minister of Information, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa fumbled terribly in their early attempts to explain away the 'new mansion.' Ghanaians were first told the property was a gift from the developer then the story metamorphosed to a loan with repayment arrangements. Anyidoho even categorized the 2 or 3 bedroom 'Boys Quarters' being built by Regimanuel Gray Limited as a “token.” What? A Regimanuel Gray building is a token?

Reality Check: The cheapest 2 bedroom building Regimanuel Gray Limited has put up in Accra cost $60,000. Maybe for a 'billionaire' like Mr. Anyidoho, that amount of money is a 'token' but for millions of Ghanaians struggling daily to put food on the table, $60,000 is a generational heirloom to die for. The loud mouth propagandist should please spare the nation his excesses.

After the initial dismal performance of government talking heads, we Ghanaians have been treated to a brilliantly coordinated and well executed three part plan to finally cut the 'new mansion' story's legs off. On the government's part, Anyidoho led a group of journalists to the new mansion's bare platform / foundation; then a Regimanuel Gray director, Regina Botwe, indignantly denied the gift story.

The public was shown three letters purportedly exchanged between President Mills and the Real Estate Company before any work began. The Real Estate Company and John Atta Mills, the private citizen, have an agreement. The company will build a rental “Boys Quarters,” monthly rent amount yet to be decided upon; the President will personally be responsible for payment. Viola! The 'new mansion' story is dead except for a tiny unethical problem!

UNETHICAL ACT, A POSSIBLE MISUSE OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER
Ghana's constitution charges our president with a solemn duty. He represents the country to third parties. As part of this duty the president communicates with third parties on official Ghana Presidency stationary with the country's emblem and ensigns. Official communication from the Presidency is not personal and transcends the individual in the presidential seat at the time. It brings to bear the full sovereignty of our country.

Dear reader, take a look at the 3 letters exchanged between President Mills and Regimanuel Gray. Please, cut and paste the browser link: http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201108/71173.php These communications carry with them the full sovereignty of the nation of Ghana and the full weight of the Real Estate company. Notwithstanding the fact that the President writes in first person and promises “I shall be personally responsible for the payment of the rent involved,” they are not private.

The fact that the building in question is to house security personnel (soldiers and policemen) on official guard duty makes this sordid transaction murkier especially since the security personnel are paid with tax payer money. If the NDC insists that these letters were private; then the President committed an unethical act by using Ghana's official presidential stationary, for his private business. It may also constitute an abuse of presidential power to have addressed those (so called private) letters from the Osu Castle and signed them as President of Ghana.

If the President wanted to communicate to Regimanuel Gray privately about his residential property on Spintex road, then logically, he should have used his personal letter heads and that property's address and not the castle's. After all the developer was closer and more familiar with that property! By the way how did the President know that the developer will agree to build and rent “permanent rest room and toilet facilities for his security personnel?” Regimanuel Gray is in the business of building and selling prestigious residential homes not renting toilet facilities.

This author has misgivings about computer generated letters that bear no postal time stamp showing when they were mailed. They could have been written after the fact. All it takes is a back date. If on the other hand these three letters are genuine then ladies and gentlemen we have a problem on our hands. Pious President Mills may have committed an egregious unethical act!

Submitted by L. Kojo Yeboah, Raleigh NC