Opinions of Thursday, 2 August 2012

Columnist: Sarpong, Justice

President Mahama, The Presidency Is Not A Papacy

Sarpong, Justice

"Vengeance, he said, is of God and people must resist the temptation to retaliate the vilification president Mills suffered. Setting the tone for his campaign in a subtle manner, the president said even though he was fairly young, God in His infinite wisdom had chosen him for the burdensome task of leading the nation." -------President Mahama-----

President Mahama, since you assumed this office as President due to President Mills demise, you have showned that you are not up to the task placed on your feeble shoulders as you said. "Mr Mahama said it was an arduous task placed on his young, feeble shoulders". I don't think it is the feeble shoulders that is the problem because you don't have to do any heavy lifting. Don't worry about feeble shoulders but your mental capabilities is what you are going to need and so far you have dropped the ball on two occassions.

First, you took the unilateral decision to bury President Mills at the Flagstaff/Jubilee house without consulting his family to gauge their opinion and then have to back down when you went to Cape Coast and the family burned your ears for that sophomoric decision that forced you to back down. You failed that mental test that was not too difficult. You should have known that despite Mills having been a President, in our tradition, the corpse belongs to the family and not the state. Just ask the Dagombas how they are having a difficulty solving their family chieftancy problems because the Andanis don't want the Abudus to bury their dead kinsman at the Gbewaa Palace.

Secondly, you were given a chance to shine at the one week rememberance of President Mills death at Efua Sutherland Park and you dropped the ball again when instead of recounting the goodness of the dear departed soul President Mills, you took that opportunity to villify your political opponents as if they caused Mills death.

"Vengeance, he said, is of God and people must resist the temptation to retaliate the vilification president Mills suffered. Setting the tone for his campaign in a subtle manner, the president said even though he was fairly young, God in His infinite wisdom had chosen him for the burdensome task of leading the nation."

Retaliate? Who is going to retaliate and against whom? This childish talk should not emanate from the mouth of a President at this time when unity winds are blowing throughout the country. This is not the time to adumbrate the populace with malarkeys.

At a time when the whole country has decided to refrain from any political speeches to maintain the unity the death of President Mills has blessed Ghana with, the President of the country decided to campaign at the funeral grounds of Mills, that is really sad, Mr President. You said you are the only Post Independence born President and it seems like you have a lot to learn because being young alone will not keep you in the Presidency if you don't surround yourself with some old people because so far it seems you will need them.

The criticism which you call villification of Mills was warranted because the country was on the course of destruction with the proxy Presidency of Ahwoi brothers and 'President' Koku Anyidoho due to President Mills incapacitation hidden from Ghanaians. President Mahama, Professor Mills was a President but not a PAPAL NUNCIO. Criticism is part of the Presidency and Rawlings and President Kuffour went through it without crying like two year old whose toys have been taken away from them. What made you Mills supporters to think that he will be treated differently?

When President Mills was rumoured to have died before he went to USA for medical treatment, SORRY, you guys did not like the word treatment but medical check up, the Informer Newspaper owned by Koku Anyidoho wrote that, that rumor originated from your office. Koku himself came out to say that, that information originated from the Castle, who stood to gain from Mills death and who has gained from his death? The Vice that used to be put infront of the word President before your name was mentioned has been deleted like Mills has departed from this Earth so who gained from President Mills death? I saw you and President Mills in a tete-a-tete conversation in a picture at the Airport before the President left for USA and that picture if others can go and look at it tells a story I have been hearing that, you and the President has had a fallen out due to the leakage of his health news to the public.

Mr President, we are in mourning and the President is still in the morgue, this is not the time to subtly take cheap shots at your political opponents when a lot of People can be blamed for President Mills death.NPP and Rawlings did not cause his death because of criticism because if it is the villification that killed him, then President Mills was in the wrong profession. Politics is not for the thin-skinned. This villification of Mills that killed him is really childish and ridiculous. President Mills died from cancer complications because a lot of people failed him.

Justice Sarpong

Houston, Texas

(CARDINAL of TRUTH)