WHAT KIND OF PRESIDENT DO GHANAIANS WANT?

Critics of President John Dramini Mahama’s decision of firing Victorial Hammah as Deputy Communication Minister should come again.

A minister of state not just any other person is heard in a phone conversation of how she intends to make money from politic because according to her it is very easy to control powers in her party with money as well as vilifying her fellow Minister by insulting her intergrity . She was also heard saying her appointment was solid way back before NDC even came to power. Then the President who appointment her proves he is not controlled by anyone, take steps by terminating her appointment and people including some members of his party are complaining that the decision was harsh.

Before this “Vickyleaks” saga, the President had been under serious fire from the public over growing corruption concerns in the country. There were several calls on him to take pragmatic steps in dealing with corruption. Now he takes actions over a Minister who says she intends to milk the nation and as usual of Ghanaians we hear chiefs and party supporters calling on him to temper mercy with justice.

I am not surprised about this hypocritical attitude of Ghanaians because most of us have short memories. All we know is to talk and the next day we forget about what happened. Let us not forget that President Mahama earlier pardoned this same Victoria Hammah for embarrassing the country by publicly complaining on stage that the content of her speech had been change, when she was supposed to deliver an address at a function related to her Ministry. As a result, she failed to do justice to that assignment at the expense of the country. The President, in the view of many at the time should have terminated her appointment for that show of incompetence but did not do so. She got away with that. Wasn’t that enough? That was her first chance so people should stop saying firing her was too hasty.

Sometimes I wonder what we want as Ghanaians. The same people lambasted the late President Mills for issuing warnings instead of sacking those Customs and Immigration Officers who were caught on camera receiving bribes and duping the nation in an investigation by Anas Aremeyaw Anas. In the same vain Prof. Mills was called all sorts of names when he did not sack the managers at the Osu Children’s Home when they were also caught on camera maltreating the children entrusted in their care. So what kind of leader do Ghanaians actually want?

I am not in any sense saying it is right to secretly record somebody’s private life neither am I condoning betrayal but in my opinion, relieving Victoria Hamah off her post is in the right direction. It is also in her own interest to step back and come again that is if she wants to.

Victoria Hamah is an intelligent woman. Knowing her back in 2005 as the Women’s Commissioner for the National Union Of Ghana Student (NUGS), her contribution towards the advancement of women empowerment at the student front were enormous. However, her take in national politics needs more experience and probably this particular saga is one the experience.