Politicians are bullies – Koku Anyidoho

Former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and now Chief Executive Officer of the Atta Mills Institute, Mr. Koku Anyidoho, has described politicians as bullies.

The NDC stalwart considered the attitude of most politicians as a drawback to the country's development.

Speaking on Okay Fm’s "Ade Akye Abia" programme, he wondered why politicians will offer public servants a contract extension for their services when they reach their retirement age.

To him, it is because they want to "use and bully them" around for their own interest.

"As a firm believer in Charles Darwin’s “Evolutionary Theory”, I cannot hold back the fact that if we do not evolve as a nation, we shall surely pale into insignificance.

"Indeed, it is in holding on firmly to the belief in the theory of evolution, which has sparked my thinking in the direction of the possible need as a nation, to take another look at a particular section of ACT 527 of our 1992 Constitution," he stated.

The 527th ACT of the Parliament of Ghana, entitled, “THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1996, which has 16th December, 1996, as the date of Assent, made certain amendments but of interest to this written piece of mine, is that which was made to Article 199.

Act 527 reads in part thus; “… Article 199 of the Constitution is amended by the insertion after clause (3) of the following

“(4) Notwithstanding clause (1) of this article, a public officer who has retired from the public service after attaining the age of sixty years may, where the exigencies of the service require, be engaged for a limited period of not more than two years at a time but not exceeding five years in all and upon such other terms and conditions as the appointing authority shall determine”.

Mr Anyidoho explained that it is about time, the country gives a second look at contracts awarded to civil servants who have reach their retirement age just for them to be in office.

"If we prevent this attitude as a country, what happened in Ayawaso West Wuogon, during the recent by-election, will not repeat itself because all these contracted civil servants feel they owe allegiance to their pay masters," he pontificated.

He, however, appealed to MPs to build consensus on this pressing matter, adding that he has no doubt they will receive a lot of "praise" from the Ghanaian public for "doing what Napoleon could not do”.