Dan Botwe jabs Kufuor

Ever since the Chinery Hesse report that sets out emoluments for former Presidents became public, a number of prominent Ghanaians have expressed their disgust about the whole report.

The latest to do so is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Okere, Dan Kwaku Botwe, who has described the proposed emoluments and ex-gratia for Mr. Kufuor as outrageous.

For him, Mr. Kufuor does not need all the perks contained in the report, stressing that they were not necessary. To him, the demands were scandalous and that the former President should not have consented to it in the first place.

Speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo morning show yesterday, he noted that the Chinery Hesse report has created the impression that all politicians go into politics to amass wealth at the expense of the ordinary Ghanaian.

Hon. Dan Botwe, who is also a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), advised the two former Presidents to denounce the things contained in the report in order not to cause more disaffection among the people.

He wondered why anybody would make such demands, taking into consideration the economic situation of the country. Using his father as a point of reference, Hon. Botwe explained that “even teachers who taught in our classrooms for so many years, most often than not go on retirement without taking home any special package.”

Before any person takes control of the reigns of power as President of the Republic, he or she is assumed to be a person of substance, who might have some landed properties already.

Mr. Botwe said the facilities he saw when he went to former President Kufuor’s private residence somewhere in 1985 could measure up to any standard and said “he (Kufuor) even assured Ghanaians that he would use his private residence when he becomes President, which he did”.

According to the Okere legislator, the former President was making the whole thing seem as though he was forced by Ghanaians to become President, forgetting that he was the person who campaigned for their votes.

The former General Secretary of NPP noted that he would not have had any qualms with the former President at the time he was in office, but for him to make such demands when he was out of office was unfortunate.