The Hundred days fuss over Mills Presidency

President Atta Mills on Tuesday April 14, 2009 expressed concern about how some members of the public and the media have made a fetish over his 100 days due on April 16, 2009 in office, and the fulfillment of his promises, since assumption of the Presidency.

President Mills went to great lengths to explain the difference between pledges made to be fulfilled during his 100 days in office, and campaign promises in the manifesto of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to be achieved in the party's four-year term of government.

We, (The Ghanaian Chronicle) however, beg to differ with the President, and rather accuse him of bringing all these 100 days brouhaha upon himself. The NDC government, in the aftermath of the 2008 elections, after assuming the reigns of power, maybe in their euphoric glory stressed that they should be judged by their 100-day promises, at the end of the 100 days.

In a normal election cycle, when a new President takes office, it has been customary for there to be a 100-day honeymoon, between the new government on one side, and the political detractors and the media on the other side of the political spectrum. During this period, the government is allowed to proceed in office, mostly without criticism, in order to allow them settle in and get into normal operational mode.

Once the customary100-day grace period expires, it is expected that the President would have put his government in place. The gloves are then supposed to come off, and the opposition, as well as the press, can then take all the shots they want at him, and his performance.

On his assumption of office, President Mills, by his actions, thrust a dagger in the hands of his political opponents, with his pledges and promises, which he said would be fulfilled in 100 days. Maybe President Mills took a cue from former American President, Franklin Roosevelt, who chose to forego the traditional customary 100-day honeymoon period, and begin work directly, an indication of the severity of the national economic crisis. In an unprecedented fashion, Roosevelt had his cabinet sworn in unceremoniously, and there seemed to be a sense of motion, energy and determination among Americans.

By the President's pledges and promises to be fulfilled within 100 days, the government should not expect much of a political honeymoon, or settling-in period for an incoming administration. This is because the media should, along the line, scrutinize the new government to make sure that they were taking the right strides in fulfillment of their set 100-day objectives.

It would take a miracle for any government to promise to heal the nation's endemic sanitation problems in 100 days, among other promises. For us at The Chronicle, we would not delude ourselves into buying the scam that the so-called magic wand of a 100-day period can be used, by any stretch of one's imagination, to achieve any meaningful socio-economic plans.

What we can genuinely expect from a government, which has been in office for a little over three months or 100 days, is that the socio-politico and economic indicators are showing good signs. Source:The Ghanaian Chronicle newspaper