Opinions of Friday, 23 January 2009

Columnist: Agyemang, Frank

The Ex-Gratia Gymnastics .. Parliamentarians Shame!

The heat is on and our respectable parliamentarians are obviously running for cover. Some claim they were not in parliament when Chinery Hesse Committees’ information on the facilities and privileges for constitutional office holders was presented and assented. Others claim they did not actually know the details of what they agreed on. Does one need to be a prophet/prophetess to tell how selfish these people can be? You do not need to be a clairvoyance to decipher their real intentions. They are simply selfish and not there for my interest as a Ghanaian! It’s as simple as that.

They forgot and simply ignored these fantastic proposals could be revealed to us the people who voted them there. So far as they agree to make the president feel okay they will also be okay. This is a simple issue of “scratch my back make I scratch yours”. By the way I hope they will not too soon forget the outcome of the just ended elections and this should guide them in whatever decision they take. It is so clear that voters can no longer be taken for granted especially when it comes to electing parliamentarians.

For any parliamentarian to say that he or she didn’t know the full details of the documents before agreeing on it, is very foolish! Disgusting! Shame unto all parliamentarians and I hope you all take collective responsibilities for such outrageous decision. Your intentions have exposed you. You are there for what you’ll gain and not at our service. At the end of it all, you think you have done us great service and needed to be compensated. You parliamentarians only seem to be at consensus when it suits you. You think we have soon forgotten about the car loan? You think we all have short memories that you could at anytime exploit? In fact you parliamentarians really have to undergo some integrity checks, with regard to your own personal endeavours and I think a time is coming when that will be a major criterion and not just because of one’s popularity. The time is really coming and it’s coming quicker than expected.

I won’t raise any issue with the Chinery Hesse Committee because at my level I know too much that the proposals will only be binding if the people we stood in the hot sun to elect as parliamentarians agree to it and no wonder they did just that. All they were concerned with was their package hence no need to analyze the rest so far as they are okay. With these sorts of people there and you think I should feel very comfortable and believe that there will be a better or best Ghana for me too to enjoy? I’m hurt and disappointed. In fact no more should any politician stand on any platform to tell us to tighten our belts! They go round doubling or even adding to their belts in size and design and come back telling me to tighten up!

As for the ex-president, I won’t even make mention of him. I’m just beginning to think that once these leaders get up there their views and perceptions about us Ghanaians change. When they are yearning for that opportunity, they identify themselves with us common or ordinary Ghanaians but once they get there, it’s a different scenario. The pattern is beginning to become very clear to us the young ones and if you underrate our intelligence you do so at your own risk. Once your image is tarnished, it remains so till this generation is out of the picture. The recent ex-president had all the opportunity to leave office with his head up, in fact in a better position compared to Jerry John Rawlings. But with these revelations, I wonder!

Intellectually dishonest people are going about trying hard to make us believe that the president never had idea about the detail of the package meant for him. Do you believe that? Keep believing it. This was the last decision he could have taken to at least make us believe that even at his exit, he really cared for the country. A call for reduction in just the number of cars is an indication of some concern. Now look at the heat? Can he stand it? You see how we’re? I mean us the ordinary Ghanaians? I hope he is not feeling we’re ungrateful bunch of people. That is how most politicians feel when they are through.

The onus is now on Professor Mills, sorry! President Mills. We are keenly watching you and for me I’m getting tired of waiting to hear you on this. You got to clearly come out on this and tell the people you really care for them and as a caring president you are not in favour of this. The longer you keep shut on this, the more doubtful we become of your “I care for you” campaign messages. The firsthand chance for you to prove the talk is this! Offered to you on a silver platter. I need to hear it from your mouth President Mills, not any other source close or near. We know you’ll also benefit from it so of course when you keep mute over it we understand. We are watching! Keenly monitoring you.

Over to you “I care for you” president.

Worried Ghanaian,

Frank Agyemang (agyemangfrank@gmail.com)