Opinion: Why do public office holders get wiser out of office?

Just had a bowl of fufu with some light soup and the delightful nature of the meal is spurring my fingers on hastily to get something on this sheet of A4 paper, as my brain races against time to get enough blood supply, before my gut gets it all and leaves my brain out, thus making me dull and curtailing this inspiring piece of material.

I have always wondered what sometimes goes on in the minds of our leaders, Former President Kufour recently (25th Dec. 2009) was on TV talking about doing unto others what they wish others to do unto them.

Has he forgotten so soon what he did to Former President Rawlings (stripping him of privileges that the constitution provides)? Did he not know this then? At the time that it happened I said to my colleagues that it was, and will be one of the biggest blunders he ever made (a very bad precedent-that others could refer to and do similar, if not same), and no matter what his reasons were at the time, it was unjustifiable, unprincipled and undemocratic. The privileges of Former Presidents should be sacred no matter what their actions.

Afterall , we tout democracy and Former President Kufour especially made it seem as if there was no democracy until he came into office. Is free speech not one of the pillars of democracy? How would he have felt if his privileges have been withdrawn after he chastised this government (for their handling of certain issues) when he was interviewed by the BBC earlier this year? Would that not have been against his rights as a citizen? Now that he’s out of office he expects things to be perfect. Very hilarious, his advisors at the time got it wrong. His ex gratia will come (if that’s what he was worried about, it’s the quantum that still bothers me when he himself would have been quick to tell doctors and other workers that the country could not pay certain salaries and that demands should be made in relation to the economy-I think he conveniently forgot to tell the Chinery Hesse committee that), though it tarries; he was a president for eight years and could not deal with the culture of people being paid late.

Former President Rawlings is now all over the place preaching human rights and hitting hard on corruption and perceived acts of corruption. Under whose leadership did some of the most atrocious events in our history take place? Was he blind then, or he, to quote him “was not listening to that part of the news” Was it not under him that some ministers got so filthy rich and built mansions, it was alleged he even declined to enter one of them out of disgust. But what action did he take? Now he says some people are “greedy bastards”, very intriguing.

Hon. Asamoah Boateng now realizes there’s law and human rights in this country that he expects to work in his favor, when he blatantly disobeyed a court ruling in the case of someone else. Tsikata was arrested in church for that matter. Was it right? Was he a common criminal? Could he not have been invited like what’s going on now that people still have misgivings with?

Is there something about leaving office that you seem to get wiser after you’ve left?

My plea here is that when we get the opportunity to do right, let’s do it because we never know which side of the structure(s) we may be standing tomorrow, nothing, it is often said, lasts forever. Dr. Charles A. Berko (canimberk@yahoo.com)