Political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Prof Ransford Gyampo, has described as nauseating, the idea of paying ex-gratia every four years to political appointees.
According to him, former President John Mahama’s pledge to abrogate ex-gratia is a good idea despite the fact that the decision came to him after enjoying it in the past. He revealed that Mr Mahama has heard the criticisms that have been leveled against recipients and he is now vowing to discontinue such an arrangement.
Owing to this, Prof Gyampo noted that Ghanaians should rather be applauding such a bold resolve whose implementation would require serious constitutional hurdles to be scaled over.
“It is only a fool who doesn’t change his mind. The idea of ex-gratia paid every four years is nauseating. It is that very greedy milking arrangement that allows some politicians and appointees to always cheat all other public servants, which has attracted severe criticisms from very well-meaning Ghanaians.”
Prof Ranford Gyampo
Sharing his thought on the matter of ex-gratia, Prof Gyampo stated that unfortunately, it appears the discourse on this is being led or shaped by a few “greedy politicians” who want to keep enjoying the dissipation of government’s meager resources on the unwarranted payment of pension to themselves every four years. Their argument, he noted, in calling on Mr Mahama to refund his already used ex-gratia, to his mind, is quite cheap and disingenuous.
Prof Gyampo explained that legislations and policies do not take retrospective effect, and that is a basic or elementary A.V. Dicey principle on rule of law. He indicated that he does not honestly understand why in this country, people tend to allow a “few not too smart” people to lead very important debates with the support of the media.
This, he revealed, hasn’t helped the country’s democratic maturity and is a serious affront to Ghana’s quest to “extricate ourselves from the quagmires of poverty and under-development”.
“Why did we not ask for those who were murdered under the regime of Rawlings’ PNDC jurisdiction to be resurrected by Rawlings after Ghana’s Truth and Reconciliation Process? In Britain and other countries, there were laws that supported hanging and death penalties.
“When these laws were abrogated, why didn’t people ask for the resurrection of those who had been killed? When the current regime reversed the ECG-PDS deal, the revenues accrued under PDS were not refunded even when they legitimately have to refund those monies.”
Prof Ransford Gyampo
Ghanaians urged to support Mahama’s bid to scrap ex-gratia
Furthermore, the political science lecturer highlighted that he supports every move to ensure that government does not pay pensions to appointees and some public office holders every four years. As a teacher, he stated that he is entitled to pension only after he retires at age 60 and as such, anyone who insists to be paid ex- gratia every four years, which is a form of pension, at this time when government has allowed its resources to be plundered, must not have a place in public service.
Prof Gyampo reckoned that John Mahama should rather be commended for “resurrecting this thorny issue of national rape” of the public purse by some politicians.
“He should be commended again for pledging to halt this greedy practice.”
Prof Ransford Gyampo
Commenting on those asking that Mr Mahama refunds what he’s already taken and consumed, Prof Gyampo stated that they must “lift the bar of their reasoning” on this all-important matter of national interest. In light of this, he stated that if a witch repents and boldly confesses never to go back to his or her old ways, one does not go demanding that he resurrect the human beings he’s already killed.
“Else we may be telling the person we are not interested in genuine repentance and change of mind from a negative practice. It takes a bold person to concede what he’s done as wrong and to promise amends. When this is done, we applaud the person rather than asking him or her to go back to re-right or repay what has already been destroyed or consumed.”
Prof Ransford Gyampo
Prof Gyampo emphasized that scrapping the payment of ex-gratia, if it is to be admitted, would require quite some laborious efforts at amending a provision of the constitution. However, he explained that this certainly should not be difficult for a person like John Mahama whose regime supervised the review of the entire 1992 Constitution.
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