MARK OKRAKU MANTEY SAW HIMSELF AS LORD OVER THE PEOPLE HE WAS APPOINTED TO SERVE – Media Personality, KOD – Nsemkeka
Presidential Advisor on Diasporan Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, popularly known as KOD has urged political appointees to put service above prestige in order to stay grounded and show respect for the people who support their positions.
KOD warned about the superior attitude that some appointees adopt after being given the chance to serve in an interview on Rainbow Radio 92.4 FM in the UK.
He initially avoided mentioning specific individuals by pointing out that some authorities have a propensity to view their appointments as a step up from the same people they were tasked with serving.
“We are here to serve,” he stated. “My office is simply where I’ve been placed to perform that duty.”
He highlighted what he believes to be a certain former appointee’s misguided sense of significance by citing the example of Mark Okraku Mantey, the former Deputy Minister of Creative Arts.
“Mark Okraku Mantey was asked to serve, but he saw himself as a lord,” KOD said. “When you’re appointed, you should never consider yourself more important than those who voted your party into power. That’s where some politicians get it wrong.”
KOD, who has a strong family history in public service—his mother was a founding member of the 31st December Women’s Movement, and his father was a former director of prisons—emphasized that anyone in a public position should have service as their primary focus.
“I moved up a notch because I’m now a director at the presidency,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I should feel superior to my peers in the creative space. Having police escorts or people opening doors for you doesn’t make you better than Ghanaian voters. It just makes your work easier so you can serve them better.”
KOD expressed his thoughts clearly, despite admitting that he had been told not to reply to Mark Okraku Mantey directly.
Nsemkeka.com