There was once a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen, feed sumptuously and live a daily life of luxury. And there was a poor man called Lazarus so destitute that he habitually lay at the rich man’s gate in the hope of scavenging for the leftovers from the big man’s table. Besides, he was covered with sores which the rich man’s dogs came and licked at will.

This is a classic example of a case of two extremes, one having beyond measure and accustomed to extravagance, the other in extremely dire straits, acquainted with grief, and pining away in agony and misery. It is a tale of two citizens.

All over the world, this tale of two citizens is pervasive. Inequality in wealth and income is stark. Recently, a group calling itself the World Inequality Lab, produced a report that says wealth and income inequality remains pronounced across the globe. Lucas Chancel, lead author of the report says that the richest 10 per cent of the global population currently take home 52 per cent of the income. The poorest half of the global population earn just eight per cent.

And, when it comes to wealth, that is, valuable assets and items over and above income, the gap is even wider. The poorest half of the global population own just two per cent of the global total, while the richest 10 per cent own 76 per cent of all wealth.

The report concludes that “inequality is always a political choice and learning from policies implemented in other countries or at other points of time is critical to design fairer development pathways.” In other words, the state has a big role to play in bridging the huge gap.

In advanced countries, various socio-economic interventions have been adopted to alleviate the dire circumstances of the masses who involuntarily find themselves perennially getting the short end of the stick. Not so in Ghana. In our dear country, the tale of two citizens continues unabated. The population is sharply delineated into a few rich men and an uncountable number of “Lazaruses.”

I do not have much problem with those born with a silver spoon in their mouth, or private citizens who strive and move from rags to riches. My beef is with those who are draining the nation’s coffers with impunity while the economy is reeling from numerous setbacks partly caused by themselves.

Salaries are in arrears for many workers, including paltry allowances for National Service personnel. Even the chicken feed wages for graduates engaged under the Nation Builders Corps (NaBCO) scheme, are not forthcoming in terms of regularity. Yet, a certain category of Ghanaians insists on having, not just fat salaries but also numerous unjustifiable perks for unprofitable work.

A Chief Executive Officer (CEO) runs a State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) aground through huge losses yet, as part of his contract, demands certain perks such as responsibility and inconvenience allowances without any scruples. And this is in spite of all the subvention from government! What trouble or difficulty do Ghanaians cause to their personal comfort for them to be paid inconvenience allowance?

Why should they be paid responsibility allowance when they have failed time and again to prove their mettle as corporate leaders capable of producing the desired results? Most of them cannot even pay for the power generated by the Electricity Company of Ghana, (ECG), their sister SOE, thus pulling it down with their own failing establishments and contributing to ECG’s constant struggle to keep its head above water. That does not mean the ECG does not have some explanation to do for its own failure.

Our fingers are not equal in size implying we cannot all be at the same level of blessing or have an equal share of what the world has to offer. But the system we operate in Ghana which treats some CEOs as super-human, is a major cause of the huge inequality gap between the haves and have-nots.

Recently, Samson Lardy Anyenini, host of Newsfile, a current affairs programme on JOY FM, listed some of the perks of these CEOs which, in my view, are outrageous given that the organisations they manage post regular losses.

Among them are the following: a monthly clothing allowance of GH¢10,000; responsibility allowance, GH¢1,500 per month, entertainment allowance, GH¢1,500 per month, a daily inconvenience allowance of GH¢500, satellite television connection on DSTV, GH¢500 per month, as well as household allowance and utility subsidy.

The CEO is entitled to a personal vehicle loan and a monthly vehicle maintenance of GH¢1,000 in addition to an executive official vehicle with a driver. Even eyeglasses are taken care of with GH¢1,000 as well as grants for his funeral expenses. Also included are benefits such as: holiday facilities, both local and abroad, for not more than six persons, not more than three rooms and not more than five nights per year.

A housing loan of GH¢6,000 is also available in addition to home enhancement loan of GH¢2,000; travel per diem, $1,500,salary increment at 20 per cent, mandatory full medical examination abroad annually, medical care for spouse and children, medical care after retirement, retirement packages depending on the number of years served, and a host of others.

In short, everything that other Ghanaians pay out of their own pocket is taken care of by the state for the almighty CEO. And what do they have to show for all these? Losses galore, year in, year out. There is no capital structure efficiency even though the state provides guarantees for commercial loans to boost their operations.

In 2019, some SOEs posted losses totaling about six billion cedis, according to Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta. Knowing how badly they had performed, only 14 out of the 126 SOEs responded to the ministry’s directive to submit their annual statements that year. Besides, 47 SOEs failed to submit any at all for five years.

Between 2015 and 2019, SOEs consistently recorded negative operating margins averaging around 10 per cent due mainly to operating expenses constantly rising more than revenues coming in. And these are the people draining our resources with fat packages that do not make any sense.

The inequality report alluded to earlier, concludes that “inequality is always a political choice and learning from policies implemented in other countries or at other points of time is critical to design fairer development pathways.”In other words, the state has a big role to play in bridging the huge unjustifiable gap.

The perks enjoyed by the defaulting CEOs are just an icing on the cake, yet many do not have any cake at all to eat. There should be analogous pay for analogous qualification across board. There should be proper entry-level pay for all levels of qualification.

Besides, the working conditions of employees in the public sector should be similar to those in the private sector while fixation of wages, salaries, and rules for incentives, should be streamlined. How do you explain a situation where the CEO’s remuneration package is about 20 times better than his subordinate because he has his master’s degree, and his junior has a bachelor’s?

On what basis should just his entertainment allowance be more than twice the salary given to a bachelor’s degree holder, who is actually doing full-time work under NaBCO, but is designated as someone whose work deserves only a stipend of GH¢700?

Is it charity or employment? Where is the justice when for one class, life is an exotic bloom and boom whereas for the majority, it is gloom and doom from the womb to the tomb? A tale of two citizens, indeed!

Until the country restructures its remuneration system; unless the CEOs are compelled to adopt high standards of corporate governance and made to sacrifice, they would continue dissipating our coffers, there would never be enough money to go round, and financial stability would elude us.

“Equality is the heart and essence of democracy, freedom and justice; equality of opportunity in industry, in labour unions, schools and colleges, government, politics, and before the law. There must be no dual standards of justice, no dual rights, privileges, duties, or responsibilities of citizenship. No dual forms of freedom,” African American civil rights leader and trade unionist, Asa Philip Randolph, (1889 – 1979), said.

British judge, philosopher, and writer, Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, (1829-1894) also said: “The only shape in which equality is really connected with justice is this – justice presupposes general rules. If these general rules are to be maintained at all, it is obvious that they must be applied equally to every case which satisfies their terms.” In other words, what is good for the goose is equally good for the gander.

Education pays but the payment must not be at the expense of the poor masses. In every country where justice reigns without let, even the poorest enjoy a certain modicum of justice and fairness in the distribution of the national cake. But in certain jurisdictions like Ghana, it is a tale of two citizens.

Injustice is a symbol of tyranny. Let us return to sanity

Contact: teepeejubilee@yahoo.co.uk

By Tony Prempeh