Dear President Mahama,

In the end, it will be a matter of conscience.

You are a politician by training - and circumstance - but you are Ghanaian by birth and nature.

You must prove to this country, to your people, that you actually care. Through a lot of previous committees set up since you became President, most of us think you don't care.

Show us that beyond the politics crippling your government, you have the will to do this the right way. I speak, if you don't get what I'm on about, about the 2014 World Cup Commission report.

A penny for Dzamefe's thoughts

Mr President, did you watch Joy News at 8 on Monday night? 

Their report from the Flagstaff House briefly captured Justice Senyo Dzamefe smiling wryly when his boss - yep, that's you, John - promised that the findings of the Commission would be worked on.

It was a smile - a wan smile, but a smile nonetheless. Brief and quick, but it was there. 

Having followed the chairman's work closely for three months between August and November 2014, I could almost decode what his facial expression hid behind his skull.

Perhaps, something like this? 

"I have heard you, Mr. President. But we have our own way of making sure you don't just talk, but you actually work."

As you know, Mr President, that's not what Dzamefe actually said when he mounted the podium.

Coded language

"One unique feature of the [Constititional Instrument] establishing the Commission is for us to make sure that our recommendations are implemented," Dzamefe started, giving a clue as to how his crew plan to get your government to work.

Mr President, in case you don't get what this really means, here is the translation: "We don't really trust you, so we have a few plans to force your hand to do what you say you will do." 

Dzamefe went on: "We have thus set up a Report Implementation Strategy Committee to see to this."

A move like this is novel in the history of this country, where previous commissions have relied on the goodwill of sitting presidents to do the right thing - and have been disappointed.

Dzamefe, as ever, was not afraid to punch: "We do not want ours to gather dust like what happened to the Gbadegbe Commission’s Report. We want ours to be implemented."

The Gbadegbe Commission completed its findings in 1999 after probing questionable activities by sports officials in the administration of football in Ghana.

Mr President, the officials implicated played footsie with the system and, eventually, were forgotten. It looks like this High Court judge (Dzamefe) is unwilling to make any attempt to be negligent too easy.

"We have recommended a quarterly commission review colloquium so that after every three months, we ask if our recommendations are being implemented," he said.

Show some balls, Mr President

You see, Mr President, nobody likes their hard work to go waste. 

Three months of sittings and 87 witnesses later, the Dzamefe Commission ended sittings in November 2014 and they found some really explosive stuff.

John, this is where you need to show some balls because, to be honest with you, most of us don't see that you have big ones.

With the 400-page report forwarded to the Attorney General for study and advice, a white paper will be issued. But when it will be done, and how it will be done is the crucial bit.

On that matter, as much as Justice Dzamefe can push with his aforementioned plans, he will be at the mercy of the your people, Mr President. 

If you, President Mahama, take the report seriously, we can see real progress inside three months. Don't get me wrong: we are not naive enough to think you will jail or punish those who the report recommends you punish, no.

But we want to see more than your famous rhetoric. 

We know your English can be impeccable. But this time, don't just talk. Just do it.

Otherwise, the Dzamefe Commission will join the notable list of voluminous reports that turn out to be a lot of hot air.

In the end, it will be a matter of conscience.

PS: Sorry if I didn't start by asking how you are doing and all that, Mr President. Dead goats typically don't mind such stuff, do they?

-

Gary Al-Smith is assisting editor of Joy Sports. Follow on Twitter @garyalsmith