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Opinions of Wednesday, 31 May 2023

Columnist: Francis Sarfo Kwarteng

In the shoes of the president

A file photo A file photo

Before I became the president, who helped me? What did it take to get to the seat? The investment, the people, or the voices in the party?

I am the president; the hope and expectations of the thumbs, the demands of my financiers, the desires of the party and my destined purpose are all laid before me.

I am the father of the nation but still a flagbearer of a party; such a difficult task to balance. Can I go against the party’s voice, knowing they are the primary pushers of my second term and can easily make my government unruly? What is the position of my comrades and the party? Can I make the party unpopular?

To ascend the seat of the presidency is not only about ideas but funds. However, more than your funds alone will be needed to make you a flagbearer and, subsequently, the President. So, how do I compensate my business people? How do I satisfy the hidden expectation of my financiers? Do I have the means to fulfil their promises when I become president? Shouldn’t my rule be able to pay the business people back in every dime with interest, without whom I would not have been here in the first place?

The thumbs are expectant. They believe in my convictions, and though I have my dreams and strong will, can I make the party unpopular? They have the voices to defend every action we take in every corner and always provide a road map to write the wrongs in the public eye. Can I ignore them, knowing I am just a person among a group?

Though I have my principles and convictions, that counts a little too small regarding party democracy.

Sometimes, I wish I would roar like I am known for, but that is different from the protocol of the president. Sometimes, I wish to expose corrupt officials for public ridicule, denting my party and governance.

How can I balance my principles with the demands of party democracy? I can only cry in silence. I can only concentrate on the little I can do for posterity
Somebody once said, ‘You cannot criticise a President if you have not sat on the seat before,’ but I tell you, the difference only lies in the politicking of the Presidency.

Ask me why I could not succeed in the ‘Galamsey’ fight, which was my dream.

What could I have done if my Presidential catapults were grounded in there?

Ask me why. I know that Agriculture is the backbone of an independent country, but yet had little impact.

What would you expect me to have done when the catapults are the leading food importers in the country? Could I have bitten the hand that fed me?

Leadership is more complex, and I wish my people would understand.

Sometimes with good intentions, you try to salvage a situation, which ends up aggravating.

You gather the little you have to create a plantation but small foxes within the garden destroy the tender grapes.

What could I have done in a state of general hardship of the thumbs but to cry silently?

Could you have done better if you were in my shoes?

In the shoes of the President…who would have thought.