What do you think of the ESBs? Enough or too much?
January 20, 2009
The End of Service Benefits recently approved for exiting public officers have enraged most Ghanaians.
Others however hold the view that former public officers need to be well catered for by rteh state.
For a developing country stsill struggling with economic needs, do you think the ESBs are enough or too much?
Post your comments here
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32 Responses to “What do you think of the ESBs? Enough or too much?”
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In Comparison to the work done by the President, i think he deserves if more than what is given to him now. He treated ex-president Rawlings despite the fact that Ex-president Rawlings treated ex-pres Hilla Liman badly. we all remember that Liman could even pay his medical bills
Why isthat a blackman does think of his fellow colleague at all .this is absolutely nonsense, the ex- president is too greedy
I think the former President is asking for too much in fact he is been too coward. we all know that heading a state means you taking the responsibilities of the country. but lets bare in mind that he has also made a lot of thrillions already. so what else does he want from the state.
already majority of Ghanains are opposing to his request. we all know he is living larvishly. this country is already in economic crises. how much will be given to him and how much will be left if the country’s docket.? as for this we are pleading with him to just say all his request should rather be given to the fortunate and needy ones in the society.
AMEN
Kojo I think this issue of ESB is being over bloted in the media especially yours.
I have the feeling that we are allowing the MPs to take us for a ride, listening ro John Tia on your network I see that the then minority went to paliament only to seek their selfish ESB but were not ready to look at that of the executive or there was a compromise but because the issue of come under public scrutiny, they are trying to isolate themselves.
Kojo I think I heard that it is legislature that approves that of the Executive whiles the Exective also approves that of the Legislature so what is John Tia and his men telling us Ghanaians that, on the 6th of January 2009 only that of the legislature was discussed. With all due repect to John Tia and his men, he should tell that cock and bull story to the birds in the air, who I believe will not accept it.
Let me state and school our MPs that, the MPs had no business disscussing to approve their own ESB on the floor of the house that day if he John Tia did not know that. Their responsibility was to look at the Chinery Hesse’s report as article 71 of the constitution have stated.
Kojo do you see what I see, as selfish as the MPs are, what I deduce from all that is happening now is that instead of the MPs discussing the ESB for the exective, the asked first what the Exextive had approved fro them and having been satisfied and gratified with that, they went ahead to approve that of the Executive without any question. Like we say in our local language hand go hand come.
I will suggest Kojo for us to have a look at what was approved for members of Paliament because am awere that even those who were re-elected are entitiled to the ESB, just like those of them who have been there since 1992 and takes the car loan for MPs every four years.
Let us not allow our MPs to get away with this one Kojo, calculate and tell the public how much in moneyterian terms each Mp is receiving and in total how much we as a country will spend on all 230 MPs.
But Kojo there is another school of thought that, the NDC government has the agender to pay former President Kuffour in his own coin, that is why this issue have been put in the public domain, throwing more light on just what the former first family is suppose to recieve but am so sad and dissappointed in our MPs, espacially the then minority who have become majority.
My question is if even the meeting was held behind close doors and Hon. John Tia is telling us that having been preview to the report before it came to the floor of the house, why didn,t inform his members or raise his concerns on the floor of the house to be sure that they were addressed before approving the ESB but waite till now and come back and tell us that there are proceedures to correct their irresponsible actions.
God save our country
that is why I say MPs should be voted for individually not on party lines.
Kojo; this is just obscene!!
Kojo, I think it is time for those of us who call ourselves the enlightened in Ghana to eschew partisan politics and deal with the real issues as they affect our larger society.
To begin with, you will agree with me that we the Ghanaian society did not go to beg our political leaders to come into office and serve us. They decided on their own volution to offer themselves for public service.
I want to assume that all our colleagues who completed university with these politicians and decided not to go into public service but get into private life and seek their own wealth or build their own businesses had a certain view that the only way you can gain enormous material wealth and satisfaction is to go out there and dirty your hands and fight your way through legitimate means to create wealth.
Anybody who sees public service as a means of equating or exceeding the wealth of those who are in private life is a fraud and a lazy person. Anybody seeking to enter public service should have come to the realisation that he wants to pursue a career that puts the public interest and service supreme and that his personal interest and comfort are secondary. That is why those who excel in public life are immortalised in our hearts and have places and institions named after them because it is assumed that they lived their lives in the interest of the larger society and not theirs.
If ever public service becomes a conduit for creating personal wealth way and above those in private service, we as a society will begin to create a dangerous environment for which the lazy or the average brains will quickly begin to enter public service and chock out the brightest and those who genuinely want to serve the public interest.
Since we as a society do not beg our politicians to enter public life, they must be necessarilly made to know that their reward is not material but shall be immortallised in our hearts and in the institutions they serve.
This is my case: Those in public life are no better than their colleagues in private service. They made that choice and on their own volution and we as a society must insist that this is the way to go.
I think that the president deserves to be comfortable upon retiring after offering himself for public service but he must go back into the society he served and live like any of them to reap the fruit of the policy he championed and deffended when he was in power. He must be comfortable but if by his policy the traffice situation is worse off, he must not be made to escape it after he lives office. Example a good house with an office attached, retiring on his salary, ex gratia consistent with what pertains to any body in the public service, 2 four wheel drives and two saloon cars, security for life but definitely he must travel around the country like any other citizen and not to use escorts.
We need to institutionalse these things so that anybody who thinks that he wants to retire on a more comfortable ESB than this will have no business putting himself forward for public service he better get into private service and create his own wealth.
I feel very sad that poor workers who pay taxes to develop their nation will see their leaders who offerred themselves voluntarily to serve them turn around and demand such outrageous reward for serving.
Our politicians are just like any of us, we can all not be presidents and the fact that we elect one of us to lead us does not mean that he is more equal that the rest of us. His job is very important that is why we provide him all the perquisits whiles in office but it does not mean his job is the most difficult.
It is time that the so called elites in Ghana stood up to be counted before our class mates look into our face and insult us because we decided not to get into public servce. If they want to live in luxury, they have no business going into public life, they better join us as lawyers in court, engineers in the field, entreprenuers taking huge risks, bankers facing up to client challenges, service providers taking huge risks. They should not be cowards to take the short cut, they should live up to the challenges life present and create their own wealth.
Like Atoo Kwamena said this morning we need to rise up before our colleagues who get into politics insult our intelligence.
Thank you.
HI KOJO,
I BELIEVE THE E.S.B. PACKAGE IS JUST TOO MUCH. THOSE MONEYS ALONE CAN BE USED TO COMPLETE SOME UNFINISHED PROJECTS LIKE THE ROADS ON THE ACHIMOTA - OFANKOR ROAD AND AIRPORT - MADINA ROAD, THE STATE HOUSE(JOB 600), BOOST THE COUNTY’S SECURITY SYSTEM . ALSO, REPLACE OLD WATER PUMPS AND PIPES IN THE GROUND CONNECTING TO BOTH THE RURAL AND URBAN CENTERS, BUILD MORE HOSTEL FACILITIES FOR STUDENTS AND EQUIP THEIR LECTURE HALLS WITH STATE OF THE ART MACHINES AND EQUIPMENTS. FURTHER ON, PAY WORKERS ARREARS DUE THEM.
IN FACT KOJO, THAT MONEY HAS ALTERNATIVE USES.
I ALSO BELIEVE ALL THOSE WHO ARE CONNECTED TO THE APPROVAL OF THIS PACKAGE MUST BE JAILED.
I am so sad that we can go begging as a nation and agree to approve this funny package for an exiting president.Former presidents in the US and UK whom we seek to learn from live very modest lifestlyes.I dont think this is very simple a matter that we should overloook.Ghananins should rise for the decency in public spending.After hearing the story I felt sad as a tax payer.The countable benefits of paying tax in Ghana is to feel so insulted by what people in elected offices do with our money.I dont blame those who try so hard to evade and avoid taxes.After all it will be managed poorly.There can not be any justification for this and let those defending it bow their heads in utter shame.Dignified stealing !!!!!
I THINK THIS IS MADNESS AT HIGHEST LEVEL.. YOU KUFFOUR WITHIN A SPAN OF 8YEARS YOUR SON HAS A BILLION DOLLAR HOTEL YOUR DAUGHTER SUPPLIES JUTE SACKS TO COCOA BOARD AND OWNS A CHAIN OF SUPER MARKET.WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT US TO OFFER YOU ? YOU ARE TOO GREEDY. IS ONLY YOUR GOOD FRIEND MALIK BAAKO THAT WOULD SUPPORT YOU IN THIS SITUATION.YOU ARE A MORTAL MAY BE THE NEXT 12 OR 15 YEARS RELAX ALL YOU HAVE CAN TAKE YOU THAT FAR AMEN
Kojo the issue with democracy is that it is the best we have so far. You see it is called politics becuase the word POLITICS to be precise describe our chaotic process. “Poli” in latin means “many” and “tics” means “bloodsucking creatures”.
After hearing of this quid pro quo initative between kuffour and the MPS, I am convinced that indeed Gordon Tullock’s theory of rent seeking is true. Since the poor ghanaians don’t tangibly get any money from these Aid agencies, they should protest all aid until a) politicians have declared their assets
B) various executives branches publically tells the ghana how much they earn- via how much taxes they have paid.
Please Kojo continue serving the public with humility and reject any advances from theses politicians.
Derrick
Virginia, USA
Please, why are we wasting time on this issue. are we saying as a people that we don’t deserve to be rewarded after work done? ruling the nation is not an easy job and if an ex-president is to be retired with these benfits, for me I Ghana and afford it. I think what we should be discussing is whether president kufour lead this nation in such a way that he should be rewarded on or not. People should remember that they also have ambitions and if we keep on dragging issues like this, we would never move forward as a nation. I believe that giving ceasar what is due him should be applied here. People should stop using fowl language on President Kufour. What ever you say or do, he was the best President after Kwame Nkrumah and it is evidient for us to see. We should stop this hyproscrisy and hold this government accountable to us on their promises.
I also agree with johnny that this is a sign of insanity for people are power drunk.
Kuffuor should be treated just as he and akuffo adoo treated Rawlings.
It is only the words in the Bible that cannot be changed not a bill passed by an NPP dominated Parliament. Kuffour should sell his shops and hotels to buy that six cars that he wants. that ex-Gratia can build about 2 new hospitals or universities.
what annoys me is that he will not even pay tax too.
NPP and kuffour will be purnished by God. I am confidence of this.
Hello Kojo, i think the cars in the ex gratia was not specific with models ,i suggest we should give the ex president 5 TATA saloon cars and 1 Tata 4×4 safari. That should settle this matter .
The ex president has a passion for TATA cars ,all the Tundra pickup have being replaced with TATA and Mahindra pickups.
If they are safe for the police they should be safe for the president as well.
Joel writes
THIS IS TOTALLY OUTRAGEOUS, CAN’T WE SHOW APPRECIATION TO OUR FORMER PRESIDENTS IN A MODEST WAY? RATHER THAN CONCENTRATING ON THESE EXORBITANT PACKAGES, WHY NOT EMBARK ON SOME VITAL DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS. REMEMBER, GHANA AS A NATION HAS A LOT TO ACHIEVE.
possibly yes the public officers have a right to benefits so is every individual person.
Hello Kojo
In my candid opinion, I think the ESB package is simply Outrageous. This is a clear indication of the extent to which politicians are taking Ghanaians for a ride. I believe we can show appreciation to our former presidents in a modest manner. Rather than lavishing on these exorbitant packages, we can embark on Vital Developmental Projects. This is an indictment on our intelligence as Ghanaians. Let us stand for our rights.
Thank You and God Bless you.
Well Ghanaians are wonderful people when it suits them its fine when its the other person is bad.What are our MPs saying they didn`t see the details of the bill now law?its a shame unto Ghana,they failed us,no wonder one-third of the people lost their seats,they dont deserve to be there. what is Huruna saying?its illegal now?so was their car loan illegal,he should stop talking it worsens their plight,such are the people who sign contracts in Germany and provide different legal interpretation in English and wants acknowledgment for their effort in Ex-gratia.
Kojo i think the ESBs is too much. But on the other hand we have to find out who implemented it, when is it suppose to take effect from and what was given to Ex-President Rawlings. If it is the same then i think Ghanaians have got the money and can consider it this time around; but if not then i think hmmmm, we will have to reconsider it.
My mum worked as an educationist for 42years from age 18 and i bet she will dance her heart out even is she was called on stage and awarded with a certificate of gratitude.
Ghana is not for one man is all over 22million people.
Lets reconsider and be considerate.
Maame
Hi Kojo, i think this demand of ex-gratia for former President Kufour is too much. Yesterday i listened to the news on TV3 and children in Greater Accra have to walk for one and half hours to school everyday(You can imagine what is happening in other remote areas. Cant we use part of this money to build schools and health facilities for this innocent children. Politics is really a shortway of amasing wealth. PLease President Mills do not allow greed to overcome you.
Why is it that the Members of the New Patriotic Party will not stop the campaigning for Akufo-Addo for 2012 and force Kufuor to come and explain why he would increase salary, bring back kofi boakye and lavish retirement package. does that mean that they don’t how the NDC could use their giant exit against them in 2012.
Secondly, the New NPP member of Parliament for Takoradi Kobina Okyere Darko, should stop rushing, he should take his time and learn from the people.
The Market Circle at Takoradi is congested, and he the MP went to Market to encourage hawkers to continue selling on the pavement and was promising the huge projects that his share of the common fund cannot support. from all indication, what he told the traders at the market circle would make it difficult for the new metro chief that will soon be appointed by the new administration to have difficulties in congesting the area.
I propose that as parliament goes back o debate this issue once more, the debate be aired live on national television so we can all see the good, the bad and the greedy. Also lets not only go there and discuss ESB we should extend it to the role the former president will play in national development so we can match after presidency service with reward.
Also i believe that on this issue we don’t need any expert or consultant to tell us what our former president deserves.
A key revelation in all this is the role of consultants in national development. How on earth could anybody recommend this and call himself a consultant working for Ghana.
As a country i have now come to a firm conclusion that as a people when we device a forum for addressing with our problems we will do a better job than any consultant or parliament.
The question is did we need to put a team together to determine what a former president should get and it took them i hear over a year.
I can sit in my bedroom and deliver this in an hour. God help our homeland Ghana.
Kojo,
I heard Tsatsu Tsikata lament about some inmate at Nsawam Prison who has been on Remand for 14years and lambasting the immediate past attorney-general.
Has he done the arithmetic to realise that that chap was put there under the Rawlings’ regime?
Like they say ‘when the knife is impaled in your neighbour,it is impaled in a tree’.How many more of the 1200 remand inmates were put there by his crony Rawlings.
I wish him well and hope that he would become an advocate and crusader for all who are unjustifiably incacerated.sometimes experience is the best teacher.
kojo,this is not the first daylight robery in ghana, it happened in KNUST, when the university authorities condoned,conived and collaborated with the SRC and billed innocent first years with 30 ghana cedis for just a single tie. Even university students who are supposed to speak up are been robbed. kojo it’s a shame to our authorities.they think ghanaians are kids. katanga will always stand up against that when it comes to knust. from francis, katanga knust.
Hi kojo, well I think that the ESB’s are more than too much, Yes I do agree that our public officials who have served this nation well, especially our ex-presidents should be treated with royalty, but I think that what they are proposing to give them is just too much.
I think parliament should review them and come up with something that the budget of the country can afford.
I think its a bit too much. Parliament should have done due diligence and scrutinize it. By the way we are talking the president what about the parliamentarians. Let see whats underneath the carpet for them.
One question I would ask is whats the morale behind this ex-gratia awards.Are we aiming at getting a selfless president who will come and not amass wealth and would work very hard to move this nation forward. You see when people have the notion that their life will be miserable after retirement then they begin to amass wealth whilst in office, but if they know that the nation will take care of them even after they retire from serving the nation then, God willing we will get good leaders to lead this nation. Let us look at the long term goal or objective.
KOJO,
YOU SEE, THIS BEHAVIOUR EXHIBITED BY THE FORMER GOVERNMENT AND THEIR LEADER IN REFERENCE TO THE E. S. B. PACKAGE SHOWS THE KIND OF PEOPLE WE HAVE AS LEADER IN THIS COUNTRY, GREEDY, LAZY, AND COWARDS. THEY IN TURN CALL GHANAIANS LAZY. PEOPLE WHO ONLY THINK OF THEIR STOMACHS AND NOT THE AVERAGE GHANAIAN WHO DOES MOUNTAIN WORKS AND RECEIVE AN ANTS PAY, SOMETHING THAT CAN HARDLY SUSTAIN HIM AND HIS FAMILY FOR TWO WEEKS.
JUST IMAGING THIEVES, WHOM AFTER STEALING AND CHOPING OUR MONEY, THEY ARE STILL THINKING ABOUT TAKING SOME PARCELS HOME.
THAT MONEY TO BUY CARS AND BUILD MANSIONS FOR THEM CAN BE USED TO BUILD MORE HOSPITALS AND CLINICS IN OUR VARIOUS COMMUNITIES, PROVIDE GOOD AND PORTABLE DRINKING TO ALL PARTS IN GHANA. ALSO, IMPROVE THE VARIOUS SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY.
IN FACT, CONSTRUCT FIRST CLASS ROADS, IN THE RURAL SECTORS, BUILD STATE-OF-THE-ART STORAGE FACILITIES FOR OUR DEAR FARMERS, PROVIDE THEM WITH AFFORDABLE MACHINES AND EQUIPMENTS TO ENHANCE THEIR WORK.
THESE MONIES CAN BE USED TO SETTLE ARREARS DUE TEACHERS, CIVIL SERVANTS, AND ALL SUNDRY.
EVEN THE ADVANCE NATIONS DO NOT GIVE SUCH PACKAGES TO THEIR OUTGOING PRESIDENTS HOW MUCH MORE GHANA WHO IS STILL BORROWING MONEY AROUND AND SEEKING FOR GRANTS.
The ESBs in my view is outrageous with regard to the state of the economy and the general wage level of public servants. For the sake of equity and social justice I think the ESB of a former President should be linked with the ESB of the least paid worker of the state. In a similar vein the salary of a sitting President should be linked to the salary of the least paid state worker. If this is done such that say the least paid state employee earns one-twentieth (0.05) of the salary of the sitting President, then no state worker would be worse off when conditions of service of Presidents and Parliamentarians are reviewed.
However, we are looking at the proposed ESBs of a government who proclaims itself to be “property owning democracy” but their actions show that they are a bunch of property snatching democrats, could not take into consideration actions that would be socially justified much more equitable.
All Ghanaians should be grateful to God for enabling Professor Mills to be in good Health and won the election. We hope President Mills should review the ESB dispassionately to bring this matter to rest.
PAUL-DOE ABOTSI, HOHOE.
I personally think that the ESB should not be given to the MPs because they are paid the whole time they are in the Parliament just every civil servant. The New Admnistration shpuld pay the former in their own coin, denying them the privelages just as they did to former President Rawlings. Just as, my father always says, do not treat people bad when you are on top for one day you would also be down with them. This is unreasonable on the part of the former admnistration. They made me believd that they were self made and did not need any wealth from the Nation, but tis is a manifestation of everything they said and what they did. The former President made a lot of money on per diem, why trying to make more per diem for his kids?
kojo, who sent those parliamentarians to the parliament? in my view we did. however, kojo, if we stop boardering them with our funerals, birthdays, school fees and others they wil make good decisions in the pariament for us if not, then we should expect more ESBs than what we see now. gud morning brother.
Mr. Kufuor did not do anything for Mr Rawlings why is he asking for too much thing he should know that when you do unto other they will do for you too
i agree with Mr Rawlings
kojo,i wonder why we continue to blame parliament for its role in the esb matter.Lets take a peep back in time and we will understand why kuffuor decided to award himself such an outrageous package.
Mr kufuor since he assumed office has led a self-serving presidential life.His convoy of more than 20 expensive high fuel -consuming vehicles speaks volumes of his mind-set
Mr kuffuor deliberately chose his own chief adviser to head the committee in order to be able to manipulate the process.So when they had finished they ,as is the practice ,smuggled the report into an unsuspecting parliament on the last day of term and managed to get his accomplices in the house to approve it.As the report reveals kufuor cant afford to return to pre-presidential life.Thus ,the hesse report talks of withdrawal pangs for which reason the taxpayer must continue to finance a greedy man.
it is worth noting that kufuor had earlier attempted to hoodwink parliament into signing the vodafone agreement to balance his kwashiokor budget.
Also, in 2005 in his quest to replace ala adjettey he arm-twisted his rubber-stamp parliament to turn a secret ballot in parliament into an open one and succeeded in throwing out peter
Is it therefore surprising then? kuffuor just did what he and his cronies took power to do.This ex-gracia would have have been paid to kufuor if nana had won the election For those who want us to believe it is for all ex-presidents i say shine your eyes