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<\/a>In the midst of the arguments and counter arguments about whether it was proper or not for the President to call on his Article 72 powers, his lawyer, Tony Lithur advised that the President must take a decision on the matter, well aware of the political ramifications and timing-a few months to a crucial election as well as the spin that could be put on the decision by his political detractors in the heat of the campaign season.<\/p>\n
At that point, the President was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. On one side, deep currents were bellowing from within his party for him to stand up\u00a0 for one of his own especially when the said ‘Pampaso’ programme is one essentially put together to propagate the gospel of the incumbent government.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the President was being impressed upon to allow them serve the full haul of the sentence if not for anything, at least as a mark of respect to the arm of government whose clear-cut mandate is to interpret the laws of the country for the purposes of creating a just and fair society.<\/p>\n The novelty of the President\u2019s decision is one that calls for some analysis. The President did not pardon the trio in an outright manner neither did he allow them to serve the entire sentence. This middle way tinkering of the President\u2019s article 72 powers in my opinion shows that the President did not want to get this decision wrong politically neither did he want to flagrantly disregard the judiciary\u2019s orders. In the fourth republican era, this is probably the first use of such a power of remission and it is interesting how it was craftily used to implement the President\u2019s balancing act. As they say in politics, all decisions have consequences whether good or bad.<\/p>\n The decision, for me, represents how the President sought to please his party followers without so much regard for the precedent he was setting whether good or bad. But I can understand him, In an election year, in an African Country like Ghana, decisions that will gore the ox of grassroot faithful are not welcome.<\/p>\n At least that is how most leaders under the fourth republic have done things in the heat of the electioneering season. But then again, governance is not only about taking political decisions, it is also about taking decisions that can properly fit to be part of one\u2019s legacy as leader. After being left off the hook in this manner, how will Mugaabe Maase and his crew conduct affairs on Pampaso. Will they be more vitriolic? And if they are, will that not be justified? After all, they have been to Nsawam and back for propounding the good works of JM and in their darkest night, he came through for them.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>