Look Yonder Mr. President

“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd”--- Max Lucado

Sometimes we refuse e to draw our guns not because we cannot fight or shoot but we do so for the sake of humanity and civility. The innocent many that would have perished, displaced or become homeless or refugees in the event of war. The many that probably wouldn’t call the shot or stoke the fire yet they’d be the ones to bear the brunt of brutish war.

Those innocent children, women and men that probably have remained law-abiding, hardworking and untiring in their lives to make things work for the good of humanity yet they’d be the ones to have their dreams and aspirations jolted by a bunch of uncircumcised idiots.

That’s why we drop our guns down. That’s why we are lenient but we aren’t weak.

At times we play the fool, but be reminded, we aren’t fools so don’t run with it. Don’t run with the idea that we out-smarted them, we out-run them or we out-played them. You can escape today with a long tail like a rat but not tomorrow. The reason is, tomorrow comes like a thief, unannounced, restless until he accomplishes its mission.

If you set a rat on fire and let him loose to seek refuge in your own property or someone else’s it would cost you a fortune to salvage the loss-- if you can at all. The devastation might be so huge that you wished it never happened. But what hindered you to make the right decision or prevent its occurrence in the first place?

Was it laxity or ignorance?
What was it? Was it pressure from outside or within?

Always think twice, surround yourself with good advisers ---not Ahitophels, great thinkers not weasels. Surround yourself with wise men not fools and boot-lickers. Always put yourself in the shoes of your opponent (s) ---you’d make not good decisions but great decisions.

Indeed you’d not do better but give your all and do the best for the people who gave you the mandate to govern. Also, do not set precedents that would ensnare you tomorrow for life is like a long haul---it has limit. And it cannot go further than its limitation.

When you set your eyes on the ball remember to remain focused. Its’ an arduous task that requires a steady mind, deep thought, circumspection and attention. It needs collectivity, unity and sanity in all its dispensation. To get the job well prosecuted will require time, energy and resources. And it requires a concerted effort, perseverance but above all great sense of direction, honesty and accountability.

The game of the detractors is to cause you to lose your focus. Remember the battle is the Lord’s. Therefore, let go things that would distract your attention. Let go things that would derail your forward match to the ‘Promised Land’. Hold onto the big hand that rescued you from ‘Siberia’--the land where you languished and nearly got perished. You’ve got to let go else you’d falter and fall.

There is no time to engage in idle talks when facing red tides. So let go things that are inconsequential. They must and should never be your priority but deal with them decisively when the need arises. Need I remind you of what happened at the inauguration day?

The plagiarism saga, consider the so-called NPP invisible men that were alleged to have besieged the passport office in Accra and also think about the former president’s retirement package. I bet they all happened for a reason. They’re meant to test the forte and the power of the sailing ship and if the captain loses focus guess what....

Mahama’s Retirement Package.
Why must a man at war have to quarrel with his divorced woman?

He’d lose the battle if he focuses on that which is deemed irretrievably broken. Look yonder, for the task ahead is more than challenging. The more focused you’re the better you’d get things done.

I have read and heard several arguments and interpretations on what former President John Mahama wants. Some of the arguments are sound, I must admit. One of such arguments is premised on the fact that the NDC-led government denied Ex-President Kufuor similar benefits. So President Akufo-Addo ‘must not allow’ any such move happen.

The question is: Must we falter to ‘unskin’ the dead goat because someone mistakenly killed it? I’m pleading with all those who have shared that view to reconsider their stance. I couldn’t agree with them more, given the fact that the constitution has spelt it all out in and black and white.

The former president says he wants to maintain the Cantonment residence (state property) he occupied while in office, contrary to recommendations made by a committee he (himself) set up to recommend emoluments of Article 71 office holders and his retirement package was approved by the new government and parliament.

A friend asked me: Didn’t he know, that was a wrong call?

‘He knew that yet he did ask for It’, I responded. My plea is, let’s not saddle the new administration with what I call ‘Backburner’ issues. There are right institutions to look into them. And I’m pretty sure at the appropriate time they would be taken care of.

That said, sometimes I wonder why nice people tend to do vice. But I’m reminded we are humans our needs are insatiable. To what extend though... shall we say enough is enough?

That begs the multi-billion-dollar question.
A statement from the office of the former president said the ‘decision and agreement on the place of residence was formerly communicated to the new administration by the former Chief of Staff Julius Debrah on December 19, 2016.”

The statement noted, Parliament approved of the new development. The Professor Dora Francisca Edu-Buandoh committee’s report recommended that Mr. Mahama should retire on a salary of GH 22,809 up from the non-taxable salary of GHc 15,972 previously approved for presidents.

So instead of going home with a fully-furnished house in Accra and another location of his choice outside the capital, the committee recommended Mr. Mahama should rather receive “40 per cent of his salary to be paid monthly.”

This was a deviation from Chimney-Hesse Committee Report (2001-2005)which said former presidents should receive ‘one fully furnished residence in the national capital and one out-of-capital at a location of the former president’s choice all of which should not revert to the state in the event of the demise of the former president.’

Again, my question is why the amendment?
Wasn’t Chimney-Hesse’s Committee report good enough?

According to the report the outgoing President while on retirement should receive benefits such as state-provided staff not exceeding 4 and a furnished and up-to-date office and communication equipment and staff support consisting of a cook, steward and gardener.

In the area of security “the state will provide two security persons to be chosen by the former President from state security plus two vehicles for security.’

The Parliament of Ghana on Wednesday October 26 2016 amended the Presidential Transition Act, 2012. The new Presidential Transition (Amendment) Bill 2016 replaced Act 845 which sought to among other things, correct section 11 and 12 of the Act as they were in conflict with Article 113 of the constitution.

Section 11 and 12 of Act 845 stated that Parliament should be constituted two days before the president was inaugurated. The report of the committee stated that a transition team will be constituted within 24 hours after the declaration of the results of the presidential election in accordance with Article 63 of the constitution, given the different scenarios of an incumbent retaining power or a new person being elected president.

The Bill empowers the administrator –general to evict a person staying in an official residence for more than three months in a situation where the person ceases to hold office on the assumption of office of a newly elected president.

Thankfully, we have successfully gone pass all those hurdles. We’d a successful, peaceful and transparent election. It was free and fair. The transition was smooth and the inauguration was great. Now look at all this brouhaha. Why ask for more when you have more?

And why plagiarise when we are capable of building our own template?