Statesman Opinion: Errant Flagstaff House Appointees Must Be Checked

It is very unfortunate, and often annoying, to notice that some people who have been privileged to serve in the Akufo-Addo government don’t seem to appreciate the harm they do to the image of the man who led the political mission that made it possible for them to occupy their present positions, when they behave in wayward ways.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has carved an enviable image for himself as an embodiment of the rule of law, as well as propriety and decency in political engagements.

It is therefore expected that those who have been lucky to be occupying some positions in his government, especially at the Presidency, will behave in ways that reflect his character and what he has stood for over the years: the rule of law and protection of individual rights and liberties.

In the same way, it is also expected that those who wish the president well will not tolerate the conducts and activities of individuals that are at variance with what the president stands for, and have the potential to tarnish his image.

It is against this background that we commend the Minister for Works and Housing, Samuel Atta Akyea, for his decision to deal with a presidential staffer who allegedly subjected to inhuman and humiliating treatment, a public officer she had led a team of soldiers to evict from his legally-occupied bungalow.

Here is a presidential staffer who has no business when it comes to allocation of government bungalows evicting lawful tenants and replacing them with her own choice of people. This is sheer impudence that must not be allowed to go unpunished, as the apparently incensed Works and Housing Minister has assured.

We join the Minister in condemning that irresponsible act, while agreeing with with him that the conduct of the presidential staffer is indeed "distasteful" and "uncivilised".

It is clear that this presidential staffer is not the only person engaged in acts that have the potential to tarnish the image of the president and his government.

It is natural that some appointees of the Akufo-Addo government will continue to engage in reprehensible acts that do not reflect the character of the man whose government they are expected to help deliver to meet the needs and aspirations, as well as the expectations, of the electorate.

The trappings of the power will certainly cause some of the president’s appointees to behave in wayward wards because when humans, especially the naïve non-thinker, get a taste of power, they lose all sense of good analysis and judgment.

Last week Thursday, during the national inter-denominational thanksgiving service organized to thank God for the successful and peaceful general elections in the country on December 7, 2016, the president reminded his appointees of the need to “serve Ghanaians in humility.”

It is becoming increasingly clear that some of his appointees are becoming problematic, probably because they least imagined they could be that lucky to occupy the positions they currently occupy.

That is why we want to urge the president to put his ears on the ground and get the right information from the right sources, to appreciate better the impression some of his appointees are leaving on the minds of Ghanaians, and take the most appropriate action at the right time.

We want to reiterate the fact that no matter what his appointees do, what Ghanaians know is that they are now living under Akufo-Addo regime, and not any other person’s regime.