EDITORIAL: Mr. President Listen To them

When Former President Rawlings warned President Mills to be wary of the people around him because they would be the cause of his success or otherwise, many did not take him serious. To some people, it was an expression of his disappointment at not being involved directly in the affairs of the current administration. However, during his (President Mills) visit to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the President came face-to-face with the same advice from his host who minced no words in driving home the reality of leadership. Having been in power for some 19 years, the longest by any president in Ghana, ex-President Rawlings has the experience and the benefit of hindsight, which can be of tremendous help to President Mills. It would be in the interest of President Mills to consult the founder of the party on issues that pertain to governance. Leaders like Asantehene know how far their entourage could make or unmake them, considering the fact that NOT all of them have the interest of the nation at heart. It therefore behoves on President Mills to scrutinize the advice, actions and motives of his ministers and other functionaries before committing himself to any venture. It would be a great mistake on his part to trust his entourage to the point of leaving them to �do their own thing.� Each of them has a motive for lobbying for one thing or the other. President Mills would have no excuse committing the same mistakes committed by his predecessors, especially when they are still around to offer him some guidelines in governance. It is said that, �he who leads the way does not know that the road is crooked;� it takes those behind to draw his attention to it. In line with that, President Mills is fortunate to have great men like former President Rawlings and Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to contribute to the governance of the nation. They know, as well as President Mills, what governance is that is why they are voicing out their views on what is going on in the country. The President may not have the opportunity of having a first-hand assessment of the situation on the ground from his position so he needs to listen to those behind, if he wants to know what is going on in the country. A word to the wise, they say, is enough.