Mahama's Fury

President John Mahama missed the point when he hosted the latest in the long list of traditional rulers calling on him to pay obeisance to him at the Flagstaff House. The visits are taking an added fervour, with no chief ready to miss the political train and a rare opportunity for the President to take a mental note of those who support his government. He could have applied a bit of subtlety in venting his umbrage when the Okyehene and others from that part of the country called on him at the Flagstaff House. He was startled when the Kyebi King sought to counsel him on the overheated political engine of the country. The reactions from Ghanaians following the President�s response to his guest�s counsel do not speak well about the relationship between the Commander-In-Chief and some citizens in his charge. It is unfortunate that the ill-fated Eastern Regional House of Chiefs� visit was denied the luck of the previous ones which saw the President making interesting promises such as augmenting their allowances to, in our estimation, reflect the reality of the Better Ghana Agenda. For the Eastern chiefs, the direction to one of them to go look for those who are engaged in political insults was harsh and undiplomatic enough. Be that as it may, President Mahama�s demeanour was a manifestation of a long-standing and entrapped fury. When it was let off its confinement like a jinni holed up in a bottle and suddenly finding a vent, it was bereft of finesse. President Mahama appears to have carried over thoughts of his mangled visit to Kibi during the campaign trail, a trip which the NDC deliberately misrepresented for an effect whose repercussions are what manifested in the Commander-In-Chief�s anger. We wish things did not take that turn which, as we understand, creates or even deepens an unfortunate schism between the President and some sections of the country. An NDC grouping, we have learnt, has jumped into the fray in a manner which is unhelpful to the cause of the country and we shudder to think this would be happening on the blind side of the elders of the party. Regardless of what government has against some chiefs in the country, it is our position that when such traditional rulers take the trouble to do what is now a political norm by paying courtesy calls to pledge allegiance, such dignified personalities deserve a decorous treatment. That the reaction of the President to the good counsel of the Okyehene made many headlines in the media accentuates the severity of His Excellency�s fury and therefore his inability to control his adrenalin. Let there be peace between the two parties.