Editorial: Is The President In Control?

The respect a man gets from his household is determined by how much authority he has over the people in the household and how firm and decisive he is in the determination of issues of the household.

For some time now, concerned citizens of this country have been wondering if the President, John Agyekum Kufuor is in control of his government and the country. This is because events of the past few days have proved most of the skeptics right, the President is not in control of his government and definitely not in control of the country.

As December, the month in which the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) goes to congress to elect its leader and flagbearer for the 2008 elections draws near, some members of the President’s party, NPP, have called for the resignation of all government officials contesting the leadership position because they would be campaigning along side their official duties at the expense of the Ghanaian tax payer.

Another call for the resignation of these government officials have come from aspirants, who are not members of the government and feel the continue stay in office by their colleague aspirants, is not creating a level playing field for them.

They also claim that the constitution of the party makes it clear that anyone wanting to contest any political position, must first resign his or her position in government, and therefore, do not see the reason why while they are footing their campaign bills, those in government, would have their bills paid for by the tax payer.

The most disturbing aspect of the whole scenario is that almost half of the President’s men are in the race for the leadership position and if all of them should resign enblock, what fate would befall the government of the ruling NPP? This is one question that keen observers of the Kufuor administration think the President should have considered very careful before coming out to give his Ministers an ultimatum and a deadline to resign from his government in pursuance their ambitions.

All over the world, no government has been able to survive after four or five of its key members have resigned enblock and we thought with President Kufuor’s experience, he should have known that his ultimatum would lead to the collapse of his government. Newspapers like ours, saw it coming and thought the President was joking, he didn’t mean what he was saying and true to our word, all that the President has tried to do by way of creating the impression he is in control of his government, has all turned out to be a sham.

These few days, its been GO, DON”T GO, WAIT TILL AFTER AFRICAN UNION, an indication of a weak leader, who is not in control of affairs.

Why should these Ministers, who have decleared their intention to contest the leadership elections wait till after the African Union summit in Accra to resign?

Hasn’t the NPP got the men they boasted of having during their days in opposition?

What about their deputies? Are they not qualified enough to take-over from their colleagues?

It is no wonder that some of the Ministers have dared the President to sack them because they were not ready to resign.

Who dares a President and still remains in office? Any president worth his salt, confident in himself, and in control of his government, would have sacked them all for daring him but Kufuor can’t, because he is a weak President. He has proven to the whole world that he is weak and is not in control of affairs and can not control his own ministers.

What is it that has turned our President into a tooth less bull-dog? Is it the numerous scandals that had engulfed the party of late? Is it the amorous scandals, the cocaine scandals, the bribery and corruption, cronyism and nepotism?

What is it that is making some of the Minister wanting to leave the government in a hurry?

Have they seen the end coming and want to get out before the Kufuor administration collapses?

This country, Mr. President, does not need this kind of Presidency right now. This country deserves a firm and a decisive President, firm in control of affairs.