New Presidential Shoe Shine Boy

By: Pobee-Mensah, Tony

How many appointments has President Akufo-Addo made so far? Am I to understand that in Ghana, the President can create positions and fill them at will? If that’s the case, what will stop the President from creating a Presidential Shoe Shine Boy position for someone who he feels sorry for after meeting him or her in the streets?

It should never be that a President can add to the Country’s pay roll at will. The purse is what will ultimately make a dictator and to protect democracy is to protect the purse.

If the President thinks he needs to create a position, he should, in all fairness, go to Parliament and make a case for the need and get approval. This should not be something that one party decides on simply because they have the votes. There should be a high vote requirement in Parliament for approval of such requests. I can’t but believe that though there may be partisans who would want to be in the way of such approval just because …, but I am sure there will be enough partisans who care for our country enough that reasonable requests will be received with reason.

We should at all cost make this a requirement lest we create conditions for a future Presidential Shoe Shine boy or the likes of it. I hope someone in parliament is writing a legislation as I type.

Tony Pobee-Mensah