Bush vs. Kufuor: Comparison of retirement Packages
United States (Per Capita Income: $46,000): President Bush
- US$191,000 for his pension;
- Life time secret service protection for president & spouse
- Official travel expenses with 2 members of staff
- 0 cars
- 0 houses
- No end-of-service gratuity
- Private funds for presidential library (tax exempt)
- Presidential widows receive a lifetime pension of $20,000 per year.
Ghana(Per Capita Income: $1,400): President Kufuor
- Lump-sum (thought to be worth $400,000)
- SIX fully maintained comprehensively insured, fuelled and chauffeured-driven cars to be replaced every four years. The fleet comprise of three salon cars, two cross country cars and one all-purpose vehicle.
- TWO Fully furnished residences that befit a former president at place of his choice
- 60 day overseas travel with 3 staff members each year
- 18 months consolidated salary
- Million-dollar seed money for the setting up a foundation,
- Security - 24 hours security services
- Budget for entertaining each year
scandalous! Kufuor is going straight to hell;-) That is if you're into the angel vs devil thing: his lust for mammon is breath-taking...
ReplyDeleteThere was an amendment during President's Bush's tenure. A US President (starting from George Bush Jr) now gets Secret Service protection for only 1 years, after his/her tenure and no longer life-time protection.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the "retirement package" for the President of Ghana is way too much for a "poor" country like Ghana.
Welcome back from the sabbatical stranger. I was just reading the breakdown on ghanaaweb.
ReplyDeleteI guess this is the true definition of champagne tastes on a kool-aid, scratch that, asana budget
cristo!!!
ReplyDeletejust vote for me to be ex-president (NOT president but ex!!) and then at least me too i will enjoy som and then i'd not mind at all that i share the journey to hell with Kufuor (with nuf respect @Emmanuel.K.Bensah II).
with God things like these are possible so i know that the possibility of me becoming ex-president without me first becoming a president is also possible...
else, i call on Kufuor himself to come out and condemn his own act...
in the name of jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesus!!!
Oh that's so depressing to hear, Kuffuor's just keeping a bad tradition going! Do you think he skimmed off a lot while in power as well?
ReplyDeleteThe thing is though, who approved this package? Parliament? Or is it set in stone somewhere in the dark recesses of the national constitution? More importantly will the new administration sit with their arms folded and watch the ex-presido take 60-day overseas trips with 3 staff members EVERY year? Another question, why 3 staff members? You only need a cook and a chauffeur ( excluding his body guards unless you count them as the extra 1); may be the third is to keep him entertained whiles the Mrs is at home cooking some banku.
ReplyDeleteDuke, you hit the nail on the head: who approved the package?
ReplyDeleteI thought it was tragically hilarious how all these MPs were coming out to put Kufuor on blast but the next day - when their own salaries and gratuities were up for public discussion - they all went silent.
Too busy reviewing their own benefits to have scrutinised what the ex-President's committee was trying to pass. Either that or they didn't even bother looking.
It's not enough for them to say there wasn't time: they should have insisted on being given the time to scrutinize the document.
Personally, I blame them.
Surprised that Kufuor allowed it through though. He could have denounced it or something. Maame J, at this rate I would not be surprised if there was post-retirement skimming.
It's like he's on a mission to singlehandedly destroy the NPP... and his own reputation.
Kufuor is a strange dude.
Every man's personal life, and Life itself, is always a struggle between good and evil. In this case, if Ghana gives this to Kuffuor, and he accepts it too, then evil would have won this round.
ReplyDelete