It is now certain that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is moving to the Jubilee House, the country�s presidential edifice. The decision exonerates media houses which put out the story and became targets of condemnation and insults by presidential spokespersons and permanent propagandists.
Ironically, the propagandists are busy on the airwaves putting out premises to support the relocation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the presidential palace.
We are, as other Ghanaians, concerned about the movement of a government department to a place which is intended to serve as the presidency.
Given the earlier almost acrimonious statements from both ends of the political divide over the suitability or otherwise of the edifice as a presidential palace, alongside the diplomatic embarrassment inflicted on the government of India, we do not agree with the relocation of a department of state to the place.
Jubilee House has come under an avalanche of charges, ranging from poor quality execution of the project to wrong location of a presidential palace, not forgetting the unfounded suspicion that some money exchanged hands.
The Indian government, in consonance with diplomatic convention, has not come out publicly to express dismay at the unfolding developments, but is certainly unhappy about the growing trend.
No wonder the strong belief that it has contacted government over the subject, given that it responded to an almost SOS call by a legitimate government to support us put up a befitting presidential edifice.
Expressing gratitude through such disparaging attitude cannot encourage others to come to our aid when we go knocking on their doors, our stock-in-trade.
Just as when Ghanaians expected a date to be announced about the final movement of the presidency to the location, following a much publicized visit by Castle staffers to the place and a radio request for extra money to complete the project, came the Foreign Affairs Ministry movement story.
That the movement of the Foreign Affairs Ministry to Jubilee House is not in our diplomatic interest is not in dispute.
We are tempted to surmise that there was some credibility in the story that the Indians were exerting some diplomatic pressure on government to put to use the presidential palace.
Bowing to the Indian government pressure, in the form of directing the Foreign Affairs Ministry to take possession, is laughable and cannot be an alternative to a movement of the presidency to the place.
We pray that our apprehension that what is being touted as a temporary relocation does not go beyond an interim arrangement into permanency, at least to last the life-span of the incumbent government.
The Ministry of Defence edifice near the Aviation Social Centre would have been the most appropriate alternative to the Jubilee House, given that it was put up by the Chinese.
Considering that the ministry is distributed among the Research Department, the main structure which was gutted and the International Conference Centre, we do not see any insurmountable challenge in relocating the affected offices.
It is not too late to review the decision because the Jubilee House has suffered so much politically-motivated trouble and this, when not managed with finesse, can be detrimental to our diplomatic links with India, more so since all manner of disparaging remarks were spewed by players of the Indian government.
Just as we were concluding this editorial, word reached us that President Mills has received the letters of credence of some diplomats at the Jubilee House and we must state it is relieving to learn about what could be a gradual change of heart.
The most critical concern for us though is a total engagement of the facility for the purpose for which it was put up. Using the facility as an occasional annex of the presidency is not what we want to see.
Credit:Daily Guide/Ghana
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