GHANA’s PRESIDENTIAL JET SAGA
I just spoke on the above topic at TV3 7pm news. Then an Alhaji sent this to my WhatsApp after watching my submission: “Prof, for me, President Mahama should absolutely stay away from the brother’s plane. There is no amount of explanation that will prevent citizens to talk about a conflict of interest situation.”
I read the President’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Calistus Mahama’s perspective on the issue from the president’s inner circle and this is my governance and leadership perspective.
A. Ours is a democratic governance. Power is held by the people through voting. That means the citizens must be involved in any public, economic, social, foreign, fiscal or monetary policy.
B. Policy is NOT only for procurement. Any good policy is morally framed, not economically framed. What is the moral framing of the technical decision of the President using his brother’s private jet for international travels?
C. The conversation is simple. We don’t have a presidential jet yet. The president must travel. We can hire, buy, rent, or borrow one. His brother, a private business man, offers the president his to use freely, but fuel it. Does that constitute a conflict of interest? Technically, the answer is yes. The moral cost of what the brother might ask in return as a favour, now or in the future, could constitute a conflict of interest.
D. So, what is the solution? Well, the President’s executive secretary’s submission does not put the issue at rest. It seeks lasting solutions, which must come from different perspectives, including citizens perspective.
E. The current president style of leadership is open and collaborative. He wants to perform, leave a legacy, reset, reduce cost, and build public trust. But, presidential travels entail security protocols, diplomatic arrangements, communication systems, and being able to function as an executive whilst away.
F. We need to balance cost and public trust with executive technical and operational as well as safety needs and act with prudence.
G. Commercial travel may not be a good option for the president’s official travels, and public perception need to be cleared.
H. A good question arise. If Mr. Ibrahim Mahama, the private businessman, can buy a $70 million private jet, can’t Ghana as a country spend a similar amount to protect our leaders in international travels? This question has nothing to do with politics, reset, trust, or restraints in leadership. Citizens expect their president to be safe.
I. That takes us to the next question. What is the safest and most responsible option for our country now?
J. I answer that question with an analogy. If I am hired as a CEO of a public institution, and they don’t have an official car for me to work with, and my brother offers me a car to travel on official assignments, is it the safest and most responsible option? I am using an unofficial vehicle for official travels. If something untoward happens, the social cost and the loose dramatic talks could be unbearable and difficult to rationalize to the people. Why? Because the plausible trajectory has both official and unofficial underpinnings. Leaders avoid such trajectory.
K. Using the car analogy, officially, the president buys the fuel, but the aircraft is not his, or better still, it is not his official presidential travel fleet. Do you realize the complexity now? Take your political party aside and replace that with public and individual responsibilities. It has nothing to do with comfort, but security, safety, and being responsible for our leaders.
L. Yes, many of our institutions require rebuilding, re-equipping and careful reforms. The executive secretary to the president made it clear that plans are underway for a presidential fleet in November this year, eight months away. What do we do then before November? Borrow, hire, rent, or buy an alternative flight?
M. The political cost of leadership could be more if we play our outdated politics of “we, them, blame game, they said this, we said that, can’t say this or that when you belong to political party A or B, etcetera.” We need critical friends in our own political parties.
N. Dr Calistus Mahama was right by saying “Ghanaians have the right to demand clarity.” Yes, we do because we care for our leaders and the country.
O. As a country, we need stable, clear, and safe presidential travels, not on borrowed, “ brotherly-given,” or rented presidential fleet.
P. This is the hard truth, and we are all responsible for it before we can put the issue at rest. God bless our homeland Ghana!
By Prof. Enoch Opoku Antwi.
Governance Expert & Policy Analyst
Ghana’s presidential jet returns after undergoing 8-month repairs, maintenance in France
