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Presidential retirement package was a UNDP sponsorship
Accra, Feb. 3, Ghanadot/GNA – The end-of-service
benefits of the Executive and Legislative arms of government,
which have generated a heated public debate, was sponsored by
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a possible
yardstick to resettle former African presidents, a
communications expert said on Monday.
“The work of the (Chinery Hesse) Committee was sponsored by the
UNDP who regarded it as a governance project which could be used
as template for other African and developing countries on how to
resettle their former presidents,” Mr Peter Akakpo, the
communication expert said in a statement to the Ghana News
Agency.
He said the Committee therefore consulted widely throughout the
world and especially, in West Africa and other developing
countries to enable them to gain insights of “best practices”
elsewhere.
The Committee reviewed the Greenstreet report which had been
compiled under the first government of the National Democratic
Congress (NDC) government and whose provisions have been applied
to former President Jerry Rawlings when he was leaving office.
Mr. Akakpo said the current public discourse on the
end-of-service benefits of the Executive and Legislative arms of
government seemed to have been “characterized by deliberate
falsehoods and at times intentional distortions”.
“People seem to have lost sight that the Report covered a lot
more than ex-gratia awards and concerned the conditions of
service of more than 600 constitutional office holders,” he
said.
Mr. Akakpo noted that one particular sore point was the view in
some quarters that the benefits were demands of former President
John Agyekum Kufuor.
“This view is unfortunate, far from the truth and unfair. The
records must be set straight.”
Mr. Akakpo said the Committee worked on two reports. The first
one which was completed in 2005 was on emoluments of all
categories of workers under Article 71 of the 1992 Constitution
of Ghana and its recommendations have since been implemented for
all beneficiaries, including former President Rawlings and
Members of Parliament.
The second report on Facilities and Privileges was completed in
June 2008 and the executive summary was made available to the
appropriate parliamentary committee.
“The full report was released to the President in December 2008
and has been the cause of intense, sometimes misguided public
debate, because it appears that many people speaking on the
issue have not gone through the whole 181-page report
He noted that many people do not even seem to be aware that
there was a first volume which set out in even greater detail
the justification of the recommendations made in the second
volume, which clearly stated that the two reports should be
taken together.
Mr Akakpo said it was important to note that Dr (Mrs)
Chinery-Hesse was appointed to the job in 2004 just when she had
retired from the International Labour Organization (ILO).
He said she was then not part of the Kufuor administration and
it was not until May 2006, after the guiding principles in the
first volume had been endorsed by the appropriate constitutional
bodies that Mrs Chinery-Hesse was made Chief Adviser to
President Kufuor.
Justifying the recommendations on the vehicles, Mr Akakpo said
of the three salon cars, one was intended for the use of the
President for travel in town and one as a back-up by his
security detail.
The third, he said, was for the use of the First Lady while the
two cross-country vehicles were provided for when the former
President was travelling outside Accra to the regions, with same
configuration.
“The sixth, an ‘all-purpose’ vehicle, is for use for sundry
functions in the former president’s house-hold as well as for
his office. The ‘all-purpose vehicle was meant to be a pick-up
and not an armoured vehicle as falsely peddled about.
He said security for former presidents was important in order to
avoid the fate that befell former Vice President John Nkensen
Arkaah, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver. The culprit he
said even as of today has not been apprehended.
On the establishment of a Foundation, Mr Akakpo said it would
“draw on the wide experience and knowledge of former presidents
gained while in office”.
“Apart from keeping the former presidents busy and contributing
to the national effort, the Foundation has the further advantage
of keeping them busy, and maybe, out of mischief and undue
interference in national affairs, after a life of prominence and
importance.
“The Foundation which would be affiliated to a tertiary
institution was to be started with a one million-dollar seed
money form government. The Foundation when established would
deal with issues of a developmental nature that would be
beneficial to society.”
On the two houses, one of which would be in Accra and the other,
a chalet, in his village, Mr Akakpo said reasoning behind this
was that a former president should not run the risk of an
undignified existence when he travelled to his hometown,
especially, because he was likely to receive people there as
well as keep the image of his office intact.
“As for the emoluments package, it is in keeping with ensuring
that that a president out-of office does not suffer a lowering
of standards and is sufficiently resourced to enable him to play
his rightful role in society.”
He said it was important that society looked beyond the two
current former presidents into the future on how former
presidents should be resettled and the role expected of them.
“It is also important to compare standards in other countries,
even poorer ones than Ghana and see the rising trend where
former heads of state are being resettled comfortably to
encourage them to continue to use their experiences to benefit
their countries and also to increase good governance and end the
spectre of sitting president hanging on to power by all means
which has been the blight of Africa,” Mr Akakpo said.
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