In many countries, the Vice President is the first person in the presidential line of succession and assumes the presidency if the president dies, resigns or is impeached and removed from office.
This fact of life unfortunately, has been the misfortune of many Vice Presidents and turned a rather glorious office into a neglected one.
The office has been the most miserable for many occupants irrespective of the country. Vice Presidents’ Historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr, a social critic and former special assistant to President JF Kennedy of USA, a Pulitzer Winner, commenting on the office of Vice Presidents in the United States, states, “it is like human appendix, a vestigial organ on the body politic”.
Another historian, John Nance Garner called the office a lot of things, some of them not as polite as “a spare tire on the automobile of government.” Arthur Schlesinger Jr. says again “it is a doomed office.” Presidents, whatever they may say, do not choose their running mates because they want to train them as successors. All Presidents see themselves, if not as immortal, as good for two terms at least.
They pick running mates not because he is the second best citizen of the republic and fully qualified for the presidency but because of some intricate and generally mistaken calculations about the contribution he/she will make to victory at the polls.
In Ghana, the selection has been the sole prerogative of the Presidential Candidate and he and he alone can explain the rationale behind his selection.
Presidents, “by necessity” build their own staff and make their own decisions, “and the Vice Presidents remain an outsider.” In Ghana, tribalism, nepotism and the conduct of Presidential staffers who arrogate to themselves some unimaginative powers, have generally worsened the plight of Vice Presidents.
President Truman stated, “Vice President is like a man in a cataleptic state: he cannot speak; he cannot move; he suffers no pain; and yet he is perfectly conscious of everything that is going on about him.”
The only positive aspect of the appointment is that it makes it possible for persons who had not been voted on for the presidency to become President.
The way many Presidents treat their Vice Presidents, also erode their capacity to compliment or succeed them. In many countries, a Vice President will learn only as much as a President is willing to have him learn.
It is therefore unfair to blame Vice Presidents for the misfortunes of Presidents. The NDC’s attacks on Dr. Bawumia on the current state of the economy is therefore frivolous, highly unjustified and totally misplaced.
The reason for their attacks is simply based on the fact that when Dr. Bawumia takes NDC to the cleaners, they scatter, hence their determination to destroy him but politically it will not fly.
In Ghana, the tenure of office of Vice Presidents of the Fourth Republic, have not been pleasant for its occupants. Vice President Arkaah was beaten and his jacket ripped. Professor Kwamena Ahwoi in his book, claims President Mills nearly resigned as Vice President because of Rawlings’ harassment. When Prof. Mills became a President, his Vice President Mahama experienced some uncomfortable situations from Mills’ presidential staffers. The death of President Mills gave him some relief but his experience as Vice President did not contribute to the comfort of his Vice, Mr. Amissah-Arthur.
From the grapevine, he was so miserable that he offered to resign before the end of his term. Not much was heard of Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang and President Mahama but her solitude spoke volumes. No rift has been heard between Nana and Bawumia but the rumor mill is loaded with the rejection of his views on some major economic policies.
So in a nutshell, the office of a Vice President all over the world has been fraught with frustrations and misery for many of its occupants, and Ghana is no exception. To blame Vice Presidents for inactions of Presidents is untenable.
I sympathize with Dr. Bawumia, as he prepares to seek his party’s nomination as a presidential candidate to contest the next general elections.
There is so much dirt being thrown at him because of the current economic mess and the belief by some Ghanaians that he is the Chairman of the National Economic Team.
Ghana’s Constitution under Articles 201(a), 206(c) and 211(a) assigns the Vice President the responsibility to chair the Police, Prisons and the Armed Forces Councils in addition to any responsibility that may be assigned by the President. The perception that Vice Presidents in Ghana are the Chairpersons of the National Economic Team is therefore wrong.
In Nana Addo’s presidency, Mr. Alan Kyerematen has been the Chairman of the Team.
Those who are attributing the economic failures to Dr. Bawumia must think again. Why didn’t the NPP Parliamentarians demand his resignation instead of the Minister of Finance? Ghanaians should be careful not to throw away the baby with the dirty water.
Dr. Bawumia started his political career with his nomination as Nana’s running mate. I remember very well, many NPP members opposed Dr. Bawumia’s nomination and preferred the current Minister of Interior, Mr. Ambrose Dery but our President stuck to his guns.
When the election results of 2008 revealed a poor performance of Dr. Bawumia’s Walewale Constituency, the criticism increased but once again President Akufo-Addo remained resolute. The Supreme Court trial on the elections petition in 2012 and the key role played by Dr. Bawumia during the trial, revealed who the man is and what he is made of – brains. After the trial, Dr. Bawumia never looked back. His incisive lectures on the economy and other issues, contributed immensely to the victory of the Party and the President in 2016 elections.
The respect many Ghanaians have for the Vice President is earned and not bestowed.
The current economic situation is not his making and we must call a spade a spade. Yes, Dr. Bawumia has enemies, but who hasn’t in Ghanaian politics and considering many of the Presidential aspirants who have offered themselves to lead the country, this young, intelligent, incorruptible and affable man stands tall and deserves our support.
In my last article, I explained that we should look for and elect “ONE PERSON” irrespective of his/her political coloration. The reason is that the Constitution has entrusted all state powers to one person – the President, NOT A POLITICAL PARTY. Presidents by the process of their selection and elections do not represent political parties in spirit, they use political parties to achieve their personal ambitions.
Consequently, the character and personality of the President should be a major concern to all Ghanaians. His honesty and integrity will determine the fate of the nation and not his political party.
The power of political parties is felt more at the Constituency level where parliamentary candidates are elected to represent the people in Parliament.
Any Parliamentarian who jokes with the sentiments of the electorates in his/her constituency can tell you his/her experience after elections. The reaction of the NPP parliamentarians, requesting the Minister of Finance to resign or be sacked by the President, is suggestive of the pressure they were receiving from their constituencies.
In relation to Presidential elections, it is a different ball game. For those who did not read my last article, I observed that political parties do not nurture or nominate Presidential Candidates but rather individuals offer themselves to become Presidents.
Therefore, on ascension to the throne, many Presidents perceive it as a personal achievement and do not sing the same song with their political parties.
Some critics condemn Dr. Bawumia for keeping silent over some issues but what do you expect him to do? Remain or resign and condemn the very government he has served for the past six years because he wants to become a President as other presidential aspirants are hypocritically doing? The answer is NO. At the same time, it will be also wrong for Dr. Bawumia to openly criticize some government policies which he might have disagreed with.
His silence is golden and a show of maturity and not a weakness. Resignation is not an option because he must keep faith with the Presidency irrespective of the challenges and contribute, whether his views are accepted or not.
His only hope is to wait patiently for the opportunity to demonstrate his capacity.
Dr. Bawumia has not officially declared his intention to contest the Presidential nomination of the NPP but I am hopeful he will do so soon.
His gentle personality is admired by many and his incisive economic directions are worth supporting. His abhorrence to corruption, his strong belief in cutting down waste in government spending, his promotion of godliness among Christians and Moslems, his belief in digital transformation of the country’s administrative processes are some of his strength but these policies can only be implemented more effectively when he becomes the President.
Vote a personality and not a political party.
Vote Dr. Bawumia!
Writer: Brig-Gen (Rtd) J. Odei