I have just seen a news report titled “Really Sad What Politics can do to a fine mind”.
In this report, Ex-President Mahama berates me for calling on him to stop taking Ex-Gratia. It is my view that ex-President Mahama can show he means business with his pledge to scrap Ex-Gratia enjoyed by Article 71 office holders if he will forego his own Ex-Gratia benefits.
I used the term “ex gratitude loosely to refer to what is officially titled: Facilities, Privileges, and Benefits for Article 71 office holders.
In his rebuttal, Mahama says what he collects is not Ex-Gratia but a monthly pension. But I take President Mahama’s assertion that what he now takes is strictly, not Ex-Gratia, but a monthly Pension.
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But President Mahama knows he does not just receive only a monthly pension.
The Article 71 entitlements or Facilities, Privileges and Benefits as enjoyed by an ex-President include free fully furnished residence / or (40% of his salary in lieu), free fully furnished office, four staff paid by the state at the level of Deputy Minister, 24-hour security, four new chauffeur – driven vehicles changed every four years comprehensive insurance, two fully paid vacations with three other people every year, free water, free electricity, free telephone services, free medical and dental services.
The concern expressed by Ghanaians has been about the burden on the taxpayer from this whole Article 71 perks, or Facilities, Privileges and Benefits. I wholly support a thorough review of this whole Article 71 burden.
So I fully endorse President Mahama’s sentiments. I only asked him to show leadership by reviewing his own entitlements in the light of the burden these present to the taxpayer and his plan to scrap the Ex-Gratia.
Even if President Mahama disagrees with me, I am sad that he chose to lace his disagreement with insults to my person, by implying politics had caused me to lose my “fine mind”.
The last time other citizens commented on these same sentiments of President Mahama, he met them with similar insults, calling them “Silly”.
I urge President Mahama, that if he wants to be President of Ghana again, he should refrain from insulting citizens.
I assure him I am still his friend and I still have a fine mind.