Presidential travels under attack

Ghana’s president like his Nigerian counterpart has come under a barrage of attacks from members of the opposition parties and even members of civil society for his travels abroad.

Since taking over power barely two years ago, Mr. Kufuor has made more than 40 travels, drawing a lot of criticism from people who think that with the West African country’s HIPC status, the president’s travels are too much and putting a lot of strain and stress on the beleaguered national economy. Some local critics have started calling him “the touring president”.

Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Baba Jamal says is quoted in the private-owned Searchlight, as saying “it is obvious that the president is wasting the taxpayers’ money on needless journeys.

“The incoming investment is not commensurate with the number of journeys. It is obvious the man is wasting the taxpayers’ money. It does not need his physical presence to raise investments. I am not saying that all his journeys are not important, no, but with reference to the number of travels I think it is too much. In actual fact, if you look at the statistics, the rates of investments have fallen”.

The president himself, who is now visiting the Far East has maintained that such travels are necessary for the country. He is reported to have told the BBC that he will travel, rubbishing the criticisms coming from home.

As the paper reports, the Special Assistant to the Minister for Information and Presidential Affairs, Ferdinand Ayim says the critics of the president’s travels do not understand the wider issues and complexities of the current world”.

“The criticisms arise out of the misunderstanding of the wider implications. The world is now a global village. It is a smaller world, and competition for the available resources is very keen. It is taking the Chief Executives of the various countries to compete for the resources”.

“All over the world, all these claims are being made against Heads of State”, Mr. Ayim said. “Thabo Mbeki of South Africa is being similarly criticised, Obasanjo of Nigeria is facing the same criticism, so is Tony Blair of Great Britain. It is a global phenomenon of those who misunderstand the issues at stake. They tend to look at the financial side, wondering about how much it costs for the president to go on these journeys. But the image one creates in a world where demeanor can typify what the whole world thinks of our country gives the president’s trips extreme significance”.

According to Mr. Ayim, the president’s demeanor typifies what the whole world thinks about Ghana.

The president’s trips are taking centre stage in debates in the West African country with some leading local journalists asking such questions as how much it is costing the country for its president to embark on those trips.