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Opinions of Friday, 23 April 2010

Columnist: Sarpong, Justice

President Mills Or President Foot Soldiers? What A Mess.

Sarpong, Justice

President Mills is a fine gentleman with the academic credentials to match any President we might have had, maybe except Dr Busiah of blessed memory but his sixteen momths at the Presidency has been disastrious. So far he has not shown any leadership ability and because of that, his Ministers are operating with their own personal policies and agendas. President Mills is a leader who can't make hard decisions because he has this character of wanting to be loved by everybody and this is the reason why he initially was forming committees to come up with solutions that any leader could have made within a matter of hours. He is not carved from any leadership cloth and his years as a Vice-President should have given Ghanaians a clue that, this man is not a leader but a good man.

I know the NDC sycophants might not agree with my assessment of President Mills so far and might chalk this as an NPP supporter who has not accepted the 2008 defeat, but in politics, without partisanship, you have trynny and I will continue to monitor this Presidency without fear. I will praise President Mills where praise is needed and criticise him when it is warranted. So far there is nothing to praise about this Mills NDC administration. This is a President who will not act untill he is pushed to the limit as four cases have shown so far. Has this President been sincere so far in these cases? It's hard to gauge because in politics as in church, there is no telling when penitence is sincere and so far his decisions on the four cases below seems to have been made due to political pressure and expediency.

CASE ONE:

On Wednesday 21st of April 2010, President Mills was talking tough to Journalists who quetioned him at Tamale whether he was going to give in to the demands of the armed robbers dubbing as NDC foot soldiers demand to dismiss the Yendi DCE who has been ran out of town and others to satisfy his supporters and below is what was reported as the answer given. He emphatically denied that, there is no dismissals of any DCE on the horizon.

" 21 April 2010 Source: Daily Graphic

Mills snubs people demanding DCEs' dismissal

»President John Evans Atta Mills has indicated that he will not be influenced by calls by some members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to dismiss some District Executives (DCEs) for alleged nonperformance."

The following day, there was a sharp 180 degree turn and the President gave in to the demands of his NDC armed robbers also known as foot soldiers in the Northern region and dismissed three DCE's, a day after promising not to do that as reported below. What prompted this President to change his mind within 24 hours after promising no dismissal s are on the horizon?What difference a day makes,

General News of Thursday, 22 April 2010

"MCE and DCEs Fired »

President John Atta Mills has with immediate effect terminated the appointment of the Municipal Chief Executive of the Yendi Municipality and two other district Chief Executives. They are Mr Mahama Adama Walvis Hudu – Yendi Municipal Assembly officer who was recently chased out of office by some NDC foot soldiers demanding his dismissal. The rest are, Hajia Mavis Meriga Bawa – Bunkpurugu Yunyoo District Assembly and Alhaji Mohamadu Sandow – Karaga District Assembly

Reasons for their dismissal are not yet clear but it is suspected that their dismissals is in connection with recent agitations by NDC foot soldiers to sack them from their various offices."

How can any President be this weak and give in to the demands of mostly criminal elements in his Party who dictates to him what should be done. Who did Ghanaians vote for, Mills or his armed robbing foot soldiers? This is becoming an everyday occurance as the foot soldiers put their demands in the newspapers and issue ultimatum to the President to act on it or face the wrath of their anger. This is a President that would not act unless he is giving an ultimatum as recountered in other cases below.

CASE TWO.

When the Techimanhene sent his goons to kidnap Tuobodomhene at Wenchi courthouse, the news was all over the airwaves about how this 71 year old chief was beaten and stripped naked at Techimanhene's palace for the salacious interest of Techiman old women. After dehumanizing this old man for more than four hours at the dusty Palace, this man was not taken to the Techiman Police station but was driven to Sunyani, a journey of close to one hour or more to mete out more punishment to this 71 year old man. The Police locked up Tuobodomhene, a kidnap victim and sent the kidnappers away to go home and be with their families.

For ten days, Mills administration did not do anything about this until 'Asantehene blew his top' and then a delegation was sent to placate Asantehene after he threatened to do to Techimanhene what he did to Tuobodomhene if the government fails to act. Now Techimanhene and his goons have been charged with felony crimes of kidnapping and stealing. The point is, would Mills have acted if Asantehene had not taken the initiative?

CASE THREE.

Carl Wilson, a failed diasporian who couldn't make it in Canada was plucked from oblivion and made the CEO of the Castle Car confiscating committee. This is a man that stole a car from the port and took it to Adabrakwa at dead of night to change the painting on the said car and appropriated it to himself. This is a man that was seizing cars diasporians have shipped to their families and selling it cheaply to his friends and and some of these cars were spotted in Togo and Benin being used by family members of Segbefia and Carl Wilson and despite the evidence of a car stealing syndicate operating at the castle, President Mills didn't sack him from his position until the NDC Youth gave the President an ultimatum of three days to remove this guy from his position or else........

Within two days of this altimatum, The President was forced to act by dismissing Carl Wilson from his position. What kind of a President is this? How can he allow himself to be dictated to by the Youth of his Party? Is this leadership? Yes, Carl Wilson should have been dismissed without being prompted by the Youth wing of NDC but this President is afraid to make hard decisions. A leader who can't make a decision is not a leader.

CASE FOUR

"Since the murder of the Dagbon Overlord in 2002, there has been relentless pressure on the government to find the perpetrators.

In the run-up to the 2008 general election, the NDC, then in opposition, promised to arrest and prosecute the alleged killers of the Ya-Na."

The NDC used death of the Ya Na to align itself with the Andani Royal family by promising them to arrest the Abudus who killed this chief. For sixteen months, Mills and his Party failed to arrest anybody and the Andani family gave President Mills a two months reprieve to arrest the Abudus responsible for the Ya Na's death or they would advise themselves.

As usual with this clueless Atta Mills regime, two weeks after the Andanis gave this ultimatum, more than forty one Abudus were rounded up at the cover darkness by the 'Jack Booted' thugs of this administration including a fourteen year old boy. How can a fourteen year old boy who was just five or six years old when the Ya Na was killed be a suspect of this heinous crime? These people were arrested to satisfy the Andanis because only seven of these forty one people have been charged and sent to jail for prosecution and the government has not even finish doing its investigation before these People were arrested, so why might ask, why NOW?

These people were only arrested to satisfy the Dagomba Andani Royal family without any hard eveidence about their culpability of the Ya Na's death.

President Mills is not a born leader neither is he a trained leader and he is ruining, sorry, ruling the country without any direction. He is just like a cotton, he goes wherever the wind blows it to, "GHANAFUO ATO ABA BONEE PAA".

Justice Sarpong

Houston, Texas.