In
2006, the parliament enacted the Former Presidents (Office, Allowances and
other Benefits) Act. Since Barrow is now on the seat, I wish to remind him that
great benefits await him if he governs this country in line with our
Constitution and democratic principles and hand over power peacefully at the
end of his tenure.
The
benefits specified in this Act for a former president are as follows:
1.
Monthly allowance of D50, 000 for life
2.
Two personal staffs for life.
3.
Twenty-four hour security service at home and office for life
4.
Three vehicles and the drivers will be selected by the former president
5.
A diplomatic passport for life.
6.
Protocol services within and outside the Gambia
7.
Free medical treatment for the former president and his or her spouse anywhere
in the world for life.
8.
Thirty days vacation for the president and spouse anywhere in the world to be
selected by the former president for life.
9.
Air tickets and perdiem for the vacation will be paid to both the former
president and spouse for life.
10.
A well furnished office with four paid staff, one vehicle and one motorcycle
and both fueled permanently by the state for life.
11.
Residence of the former president shall be maintained by the state with two
cooks, four housekeepers and two gardeners for life.
12.
The accommodation will also be provided with telephone, Internet and other
unspecified facilities for life.
13.
At public functions, the former president will sit immediately after the
current vice president for life.
Apart
from this constitutional entitlement that awaits Barrow, there is another more
lucrative opportunity that Barrow could win. That is the Mo Ibrahim Prize for
Achievement in African Leadership. This is a lifetime award that a former
African president could win if such a person was democratically elected, served
his constitutional mandate and demonstrated exceptional democratic leadership
and left office peacefully. For that achievement, such a president could be
selected as winner and the prize is
•
$5million USD over ten years
•
$200,000 USD per year for life thereafter.
Since
the prize was launched in 2006, only four African presidents have won it so far
as follows:
•
President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique (2007).
•
President Festus Mogae of Botswana (2008),
•
President Pedro Pires of Cape Verde (2011)
•
President Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia (2014)
But
one needs to remember that the Gambia Constitution has stated in Section 4(2)
that a president who left office due to Section 67 of the Constitution does not
qualify for the benefits and allowances of this Act.
Section
67 is about impeachment of a president for misconduct that range from abuse of
office, willful violation of the Constitution or misconduct that injures the
economy among other crimes. This means it is utterly necessary and important
that Barrow abides by the Constitution and other laws of the Gambia and avoids
making decisions and actions that would negatively affect the economy hence
lose these great benefits. This means if president Barrow leaves office in 2019
under the circumstances of Section 67 then he will also not qualify for the Mo
Ibrahim Prize.
Therefore,
if we go be Section 67 we can see that it directly disqualifies Yaya Jammeh
since he willfully violated the Constitution on 2 December 2016 when he
rejected the polls. More seriously Yaya Jammeh never demonstrated exceptional
democratic leadership and never left office peacefully. Thus Yaya Jammeh does not
qualify for the benefits of a former president under this Act. This means Yaya
Jammeh will not even be considered for the Mo Ibrahim Prize as well.
Therefore
the ball is in Barrow’s court: To rule well and enjoy life after the
presidency. He must not allow partisan and political expediency cause him to
miss this great retirement package. Otherwise he will be doomed like Yaya
Jammeh! For Life!! Those who love and support Barrow and wish him well must
therefore guide him to lead with exceptional leadership and act according to
democratic principles.
Having
said that, we must also highlight the fact that the Act in the Gambia
Constitution needs a little but significant amendment. This is because the Act
was tailored purposely to serve the selfish interests of Yaya Jammeh. For
example, it defined a former president as a person who held the Office of the
President for not less than two terms (Section 2). In 2006, it was clear that
Yaya Jammeh had spent more than two terms hence this section was purposely made
to suit him. The section did not also set a term limit of the president because
Yaya Jammeh never had any intention to step down.
The
parliament now needs to review this Act so that Section 2 would define the
former president as a person who served for at least one term and not more than
two terms. This must be done as soon as possible before the end of tenure of
Adama Barrow.
God
Bless The Gambia.
