The storm

It has been a little over a week since Ghanaians woke up and received the bombshell concerning the “mother of all” end of service package deals for ex-president Kufour. I have been shaking my head every single day, telling myself that, if Kufour is a reasonable person who indeed cares about the welfare of the millions of suffering Ghanaians, for once he would prove his skeptics wrong and organize a press conference to request for a review of the package. It is this wrong held view that has prevented me from commenting on this issue all this while. I kept telling myself that I will wait until I hear from Kufour speaking directly to the cameras to request for a review of the package. But every single passing day is turning my dream into a nightmare.

First of all, it does not matter whether the Chinery Hesse committee that was constituted by Kufour to draft his end of service benefit goofed by attempting to rip-off poor Ghanaians with the astronomical deal for the ex-president. It does not also matter whether Kojo Mpianim sneaked the report under the cover of darkness to parliament for approval. Oh yes, it does not matter whether the parliamentarians took the time to thoroughly debate on the merits and demerits of the benefits. To me and to a large extent other millions of Ghanaians, what matters most today is when Kufour would come out of his hideout, hold a national press conference, look through the cameras and inform Ghanaians that he rejects most of the items that were recommended for him.

Certain things have never ceased to amaze me. To me how some people fail to understand what the word shame means, amazes me all the time. I have thought and thought and come to the conclusion that if one person can get so much from Ghana as his end of retirement benefit, then Ghana must be extremely rich. I do not buy the “huhudious” story that was written by Daily Guide and attributed to Kufour. What Kufour needs to do is to come out and openly talk to Ghanaians. The way he is hiding behind the scenes is a clear indication that he is just bidding his time for Ghanaians to stop talking about the issue. It is also another indication that he knows everything about the report from the beginning and likes everything that was recommended for him.

I will want to take issue with just a couple of the items recommended for him. It was reported by Joy FM that the Chinery Hesse committee recommended that Kufour be given $1 million as seed money to establish a foundation. What a nice way to rip-off a country or steal in the name of helping the people. It is okay if Kufour wants to establish a foundation to help the needy in Ghana. But why should the country give him the seed money of $1 million to establish the foundation? If Kufour really wants to help the needy in Ghana, he should rather raise funds from countries and friends he make around the world while globe-trotting. Ghana, I repeat Ghana cannot afford to dole out $1 million to Kufour while most of our medical equipment at hospitals are grounding to a halt.

I have read from multiple Ghanaian writers who have stated that ex-president George Bush will get a life time secret service protection. I beg to differ. In 1994 the U.S. congress passed a law to cut the secret service protection for ex-presidents to only 10 years. Anybody who doubts what I am saying should do further research on this or check the information from this site (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20061218/ai_n16895839). If United States of all countries have even seen the need to cut down on cost on protecting its former presidents, I do not see why Kufour wants to pile on Ghana’s debt.

It is a fact that Kufour has a house in Kumasi. He also has another one in Accra. I do not care if he has more than one house in those big cities. Considering his age, why would Kufour want another house in Accra and possibly another one in Kumasi to be built for him at the expense of Ghana? Someone would say he has kids. Yes, he has kids, just like million other Ghanaians who toil day in and day out to at least eat one square meal before they go to bed. But the argument supporting this rip-off is even laughable. To make ex-presidents willing to hand over power when their term of office expires. This is one stupid argument that should never have come out of anybody’s mouth. This argument would have held a little water if Kufour was a dictator. But why would Kufour even think of not relinquishing power when he has served his two-terms in office?

By asking Ghanaians to build him two houses, Kufour is still day-dreaming about the “Ownership Society” that he blindly propagated throughout his term leading to many of his cronies to rip-off the country. I cannot believe that Kufour trumpeted the Ghana @ 50 celebrations with pomp and confidence, yet he failed to press those who were in charge of the organization to render proper accounts to the state. Such is the mark of Kufour who does not want to go away quietly but wants poor Ghana to bath him in pomp and comfort till he dies.

Kufour was to be given 6 cars including one armored car. It is good for the ex-president to be protected. There are of course some bad people all over the world so as an ex-president you need to feel secure. But if ex-president Rawlings does not have an armored vehicle why should Kufour have one? And I do not think Ghanaians are so crazy to go chasing after an ex-president that is why Kufour needs an armored vehicle so badly before he feels secure to travel around the country. There is a saying that one has to live within his or her means, but this saying does not seem to be the cardinal principle of the NPP, which is why during Kufour’s last two years in office, some organizations were allowed to spend more than seven times their budget. Is it any wonder why the Ghana @ 50 accounts have still not been reconciled since two years the event ended?

My heart simply jumped when I read that Kufour was also to be given $400,000 (4.8 billion cedis) as “pocket money”. My God, why would one person create so much attention to himself by wanting to drag a whole nation to the drain? Ghana has had many leaders, but Kufour is the only leader who traveled almost every month when he was in office. And he made sure that any time he traveled outside the country, he stayed additional days just to make extra money in terms of per diem. Ghanaians would recall that even during one-day state visits, it took Kufour four or five extra days for him to return home. I have never forgotten when Kufour left Ghana on a supposed state visit a day after hundreds of Ghanaians were trampled to death during the Accra Stadium disaster on May 9, 2001. Normally, when presidents are away on state visits and national calamities occur, they return home immediately to console the country, but Kufour who was right inside Ghana when the calamity occurred found a nice excuse to leave the country. Yet, in spite of his many travels and hundreds of thousands of per diem paid to him, he still wants Ghana to part with $400,000 to him. If this is not the extreme form of greed, then I do not know how to coin it.

Now I have this simple advice to Kufour. We know that he served Ghana for 8 years. It was his choice to serve Ghana. Nobody pushed him to do it. He wanted to offer his services to the country. But we never knew that the underlying factor was to turn round after the end of his service to demand so much from Ghana.. There was another “Kweku Ananse” story that during his 8 years as president Kufour lived in his own home. Nobody argues with him for living in his own home, but before he run for president, Kufour knew the nature of the seat of government. But because he hated Rawlings so much to the extent of not wanting to touch anything that Rawlings has touched before, that is why he decided to live in his own home.

Ghana cannot afford to spend so much on Kufour and his family. In the present state of the country coupled with the economic uncertainties throughout the world, we are waiting for Kufour to come out of his hideout and speak about the issue. This issue is never going to go away until he speaks about it. Even some prominent NPP diehards have spoken against this rip-off. I am yet to hear Akufo-Addo’s take on the issue. All what I hear is his preparations for 2012. Kufour has to prove that he is a reasonable person. If he fails to come out, then I will this time round compare him to Ferdinand Marcos, the former Philippino President who raped his country of millions of dollars before he fled into exile.

Wereko Brobbey the most ‘sikadicious’ ‘poli-trickian’ in Ghana?

Before you proceed to read, understand that the title of this article is a question to which I seek some answer from well meaning Ghanaian?

Dr Charles Wereko-Brobbey was the presidential candidate of the United Ghana Movement (UGM) in 2000. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Fuel and Combustion Engineering and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Solar Energy Engineering, both from the University of Leeds, UK. The UGM presidential candidate also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Middlesex, Hendon, UK and is a Fellow of the Institute of Petroleum, UK. Dr. Wereko-Brobbey has practised as a Consulting Engineer for over 20 years and is a Research Fellow in Management Science at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London. He also worked as the Energy and Environmental Planning Programme Chief at the Commonwealth Science Council, Commonwealth Secretariat, London. In 1988, Dr Wereko-Brobbey was appointed the Energy Policy Adviser to the PNDC and Executive Director of the National Energy Board. In 1995, he was appointed the Consulting Energy Economist to the African Development Bank's African Energy Programme. Dr Wereko-Brobbey has authored two university-level textbooks on energy and development, as well as numerous technical papers and reports on energy and environment. He became the first African to be elected to the leadership of the National Union of Students (NUS), UK, President of Leeds University Union in 1978-1979. His political carrier started with the advent of the Fourth Republic in 1993. He established the Independent Media Corporation of Ghana which set up the Radio Eye in 1994 and played an inspiring role in the Alliance For Change (AFC), a political pressure group that organised demonstrations against the introduction of VAT in 1995. Dr Wereko-Brobbey formed the UGM in 1996 after resigning from the NPP.

Consider the C.V. of Dr. Brobbey before he formed his political party and it looked good. In fact I once thought he could be a good Chief Executive of the nation considering his C.V. (that is on paper). In practice however, this man’s performance has been far below par.

After a woeful display by his party in the 2000 elections, Dr. Wereko-Brobbey was appointed CEO of the VRA on August 24, 2001. He officially assumed office in September that year but resigned on September 17, 2003.

Issues about Dr. Wireko Brobbey first came to light in 2003 when a couple of VRA workers went on demonstration against his tenure as chief executive due to what they referred to as abuse of power and misappropriation of funds.

Dr. Wereko Brobbey later took the VRA to court, claiming an amount in excess of 2.2billion old cedis, being five years end of service benefit, after working with the authority for two years (2001 to September 2003), however, he was unsuccessful with in his attempt, as the court failed to endorse all his demands, but endorsed some of the counter-claims requested by the Authority, in respect of either returning the furniture set, cutleries and vehicles in his possession, or pay an amount of over GH¢50,000, being the cost of the items.

Surprised to find out that he had to keep the furniture and even cutlery? As though the Kufuor administration did not know Dr. Wereko-Brobbey’s track record with mismanagement and financial malpractice, they decided to hand him the luxurious job of heading the Ghana@50 Secretariat and the results of that is horrible news making the rounds in Ghana today.

After parliament approved a $20million dollar for the event, the funds were still not enough that Wereko-Brobbey and the secretariat spent a whooping $78million dollars on the event. WOW! I wonder what would have happened to Ghana if his party was voted into power in 2000. How could not even manage VRA and Ghana@50 secretariat without financial controversies how much more the entire nation. That is why I always suggest that anyone who contests for the office of president must at least have been to manage a private or public office brilliantly before they will be given the high office of president.

I listened to Dr. Wereko-Brobbey been interviewed by Kwame Sefa-Kayi on Peace FM regarding the auditor general’s report and he was clearly all over the place as to how the bill came up to $78million. As to why of all the great Chief executives in Ghana, Dr. Wereko-Brobbey whose past financial management has been shrouded in controversy was the one to be chosen to manage this event I just can’t understand. Maybe some one can help me find answers to this.

The crony business in Ghana politics is killing the nation and the language of sacrifice is certainly dissipating from the dictionary of those who preached it when they so desperately begged to be voted into power. What at all gets into the head of our leaders that once they ascend the throne of power they change of a sudden, can you imagine? Hmm!

Is Dr. Wereko-Brobbey the greediest ‘sikadicious’ person in Ghana politics, who will jump at any given change to maximise his pocket? Please help me find answers to this my fellow Ghanaians. If Dr. Wereko-Brobbey happens to read this, could he also reply and help me clarify some of the concerns raised?

Let’s us learn to sacrifice a little for the nation if we can truly move Ghana forward an stop the stomach politics. We need to chase out of office all these greedy people who are in power to maximum their gain at the loss of the nation.

God bless you. Thank you.

Please send your sensible responses to dr.objective@yahoo.co.uk. Kweku Afful a.k.a Dr. Objective Slogan…together we build together we succeed. If anyone cares about Ghana, Kweku does.

A video recording of former President Jerry John Rawlings’s attack on the personality of Mr Richmond Aggrey, a businessman who has sued Scancom Limited, operators of MTN, over a shareholding dispute, was on Wednesday played at the Commercial Court in Accra.

In the recording, former President Rawlings accused Dr Aggrey of going round the world cheating people and had committed similar offences in Nigeria and was being sought for by that country's authorities.

This revelation came up when Dr Aggrey, who was continuing with his evidence-in-chief in the ongoing case, presented a recorded videotape of the 1999 Emancipation Day Celebrations to support his claim that Former President Rawlings was interfering in the affairs of the company.

Dr Aggrey said he had several calls from Mr Edward Salia, Minister of Communications, and members of the Lebanese community urging him to step down for the company to proceed because of his problem with the then Government.

He said even though most members of the Board of the company knew of his harassment they did not do anything to help.

He said though the company was awarded a certificate to roll out its products, all of a sudden it received letters from the National Communication Authority (NCA) for them to cede some of their frequencies to the Authority.

Dr Aggrey said because the former President's plan to get him out of the company was succeeding, members of the Board of the company decided that they must find a way to indicate that he (Dr Aggrey) was resigning in order to stop the Former President from interfering.

He said he was asked by the other shareholders to write his resignation letter with copies sent to his Lawyers and some leaked to the press to create the impression that he was leaving the company.

Asked by his Counsel, Mr Yonny Kulendi why they had to leak his resignation to the media, Dr Aggrey said this was to stop Former President Rawlings from interfering in the company, buy time as well as find respectable Ghanaians to talk to him.

Mr Felix Ntrakwah, Counsel for Investcom Consortium Holding, raised objection to the videotapes on the grounds that the Plaintiff only indicated that he was going to tender them in evidence and not to play them but the Court rejected his claim.

Dr Aggrey also said he did not want to leave the company because it was going to impair the company's ability to raise further money for its expansion.

Dr Aggrey has sued Scancom Limited, operators of Areeba Mobile Phone Service, now MTN, and Investcom Consortium Holdings S.A. of Beirut, Labanon, majority shareholders in Areeba as well as Grandview Management of Texas, United States, to claim 20 per cent share of the company.

The PMG NetAnalyst certification is a program designed to help IT and networking professionals understand networking from the wire level on up through the application. This program started in 1995 and has more than 2,500 certified professionals currently among its ranks. This program was even profiled in the August 2001 issue of Certification Magazine in the article, “Pine Mountain Certification: Between the Cracks.” This title didn’t refer to the location or status of the certification itself, but rather it emphasized the ability of someone who completes this program to determine exactly where network behaviors, problems or issues originate by examining the kind of information that moves across the network. Because this often occurs in the gray areas between vendor platforms, services or other boundaries between products and platforms, this emphasizes the knowledge and skills necessary to track things down properly.

PMG is an acronym for the Pine Mountain Group, a once-independent training and certification organization. Today, PMG and the NetAnalyst certification program are the property of Austin, Texas-based network management software company NetQos Inc.

Bill Alderson, well-known protocol analyst, instructor and consultant — and the primary force behind NetAnalyst — is still actively involved in its architecture and delivery as a senior consultant for the company. And while the content for the NetAnalyst certification continues to be improved and updated to reflect state-of-the-art networking technologies, tools, protocols and situations, it remains essentially the same vendor-neutral network analysis certification program it always has been.

At a fundamental level, the NetAnalyst program takes the topic of network forensics as its root subject matter. Network forensics should be understood to mean the informed capture, inspection and analysis of actual network traffic and behavior to produce information to be used for a variety of purposes. These can range from network characterization and base-lining to understand what typical behavior and usage looks like, to examination of specific pathologies related to intrusion attempts, security breaches, unauthorized access or usage, and so forth.

Unlike the kind of forensics that reconstructs crimes from evidence left at the scene at some point in the past, network forensics is as useful in examining real-time network behavior as it is at reconstructing and understanding historical network behavior. Understanding what has happened (and is happening) on a network at various levels of detail helps individuals and organizations better understand how to control and manage that network today, how to optimize the network to meet business goals, and how to plan for network growth and expanded use in the future.

The NetAnalyst program consists of three levels of certification, as follows:

Level 1—Cross Technology: This credential indicates that its holders understand basic network forensics, including core theory and technologies, and know how to construct a big-picture view of a network. The term “cross technology” is an important key because truly understanding a network’s behavior and characteristics means knowing what kinds of hardware and software elements make up a network’s infrastructure, as well as what kinds of software (particularly applications) and activities best describe how it’s used and what it’s used for.
This requires individuals to use multiple tools and techniques to construct such an understanding and that they are able to move among the various vendor-specific platforms and technologies that comprise a network infrastructure as needed.

The Level 1 credential matches up with a five-day class on network theory and principles. This class covers TCP standards, performance, flow control and troubleshooting, along with IP subnetting, addressing and fragmentation.

It also includes coverage of ARP, ICMP and routing algorithms, as well as Ethernet-specific standards and characteristics, cabling and switches, VLANs, Qos and traffic-engineering topics and more. Candidates must pass a single exam to earn this credential, consisting of 60 questions in a 90-minute period.

Level 2 — Architect: This credential indicates that its holders understand how networks are organized, how they operate, and how applications and services behave when they use them. Thus, qualified individuals know how to monitor, analyze and resolve complex networking issues.
The architect label in the credential’s name reflects the holder’s deep and thorough understanding of how basic principles that govern network design, implementation and maintenance come into play when dealing with specific networking situations and behaviors.

The Level 2 credential matches up with a five-day class on network troubleshooting essentials. It begins with an in-depth analysis of the OSI network reference model and proceeds through its individual layers to describe and show how each one operates and behaves.

Topics covered include Ethernet operation and analysis, wireless 802.11b/g Ethernet networks, switched-network analysis and VLANs, IP operation and analysis, TCP throughput and latency analysis and a look at various TCP application layer protocols. Students work with a protocol analyzer to complete numerous hands-on labs and exercises as they work through the topics for this class. Candidates must pass a single exam to earn this credential, consisting of 30 questions in a 90-minute period.

Level 3 — Elite: This credential indicates that its holders can use a protocol analyzer, understand TCP/IP protocols in depth, and can dig into specific TCP/IP applications and services at the expert level to illustrate or characterize behavior, diagnose potential or actual pathologies, and to ferret out the networking factors that contribute to network performance and problems.
The Level 3 credential matches up with a five-day class on network performance forensics and includes in-depth coverage of some or all of the following topics, depending on student interests and inclinations: application layer protocols such as Voice over IP (VoIP), SMTP, FTP, DHCP/WINS/DNS and more.

Broadcast analysis, Qos validation, network design and IP multicast also can number among its topics. Students work with a protocol analyzer as their primary hands-on and lab activity in this class and spend significant time working through case studies and detailed scenarios. Candidates must pass a single exam to earn this credential, consisting of 15 questions and five short essays in a 90-minute period.

All these classes cost $2,495 to $2,995, depending on topic and location (discounts are available to organizations that send multiple attendees) and include the exam at the end of each offering. Individuals who wish to challenge the exams without taking the classes are welcome to do so at a fee of $495 (including one free retake for those who don’t pass on their first try), but they must make themselves available at the teaching location for the linked class by 10 a.m. on the final day of training to sit for its exam. Information about class schedules and locations is available through www.NetPerformance.com.

Ultimately, the real value of the NetAnalyst program is the insight into networking it can help candidates develop, as well as the profound skills and knowledge to which its senior levels (2 and 3) attest. Protocol analysis remains a nonpareil area of network specialization and continues to score well on salary and job satisfaction surveys for networking professionals.

This program represents an excellent way to acquire and demonstrate such skills and knowledge and offers interesting opportunities for networking professionals to advance further in their field.

Ed Tittel is the technology editor for Certification Magazine. He is also the director of training at NetQoS Inc. and the editor in chief of NetPerformance.com, where he oversees all technical content for that site. He can be reached at etittel@certmag.com

Teferi-Bel Amakeletetch, representative of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), said the West and Central African countries which provide the highest yam production in the world needed to use their comparative advantage to reduce poverty, achieve food security and earn foreign exchange.

... cocaine dealer would buy Ghana, If ...
... opinion polls were faked

A medical doctor and one of the NPP presidential hopefuls, Dr Kobina Arthur Kennedy has assured footsoldiers of the party that he would never abandon them if he is elected flagbearer and subsequently, as President of Ghana.

He said when NPP was in opposition they promised to ensure unity and compassion for all foot soldiers and Ghanaians as a whole, but after winning power the party started practising what he termed as "power for those in power".

Addressing a handful of his party people in Bolgatanga, he promised to consult party executives in the appointment of DCEs and regional ministers when voted President. They would be the ones to present the list of the people they would like to be their DCEs and regional ministers for him to approve of, he stated.

Dr Kwabena Arthur Kennedy also cautioned NPP delegates who would be voting to elect their presidential candidate to be mindful of some of the aspirants who have been going round splashing money on them because the source of the money could be a questionable one.

He regretted that people are only interested in the money being displayed by these aspirants without bothering to find out the source the money was raised from. If we do not take our time, one cocaine dealer would just take his money and buy this country and put our lives in danger,he said. He therefore advised the delegates to vote according to their conscience to elect the right leader who would be capable of leading the country.

Arthur Kennedy said opinion polls that were putting some of the aspirants ahead of others were faked. He alleged that some of the aspirants had paid money for the polls to be conducted in their favour. According to him, he was approached by one of the conductors of the polls to pay money for him to be put ahead of others but he refused.

He said if he is elected as flagbearer, he would appoint 3 chiefs of staff and deputies to ensure that things were more decentralized. In other to be acquainted with the problems of the party and the national executives, he said he would visit the party's headquarters once in a week.

The aspirant regretted that too many people were dying in Ghana as a result of dirt, especially in the cities. He observed that, it was difficult for people in Accra and Kumasi to respond to nature call as a result of inadequate toilet facilities, thereby resulting in indiscriminate excreting of human waste. These were causing cholera, malaria and typhoid. Lunatics were also going about polluting the environment.

He promised to build these facilities in the universities and other tertiary institutions as well as all filling stations throughout the country. He would also launch a nationwide hand wash campaign. He also promised to invest in the education of the poor to reduce crime in the country.

Dr Kwabena Arthur Kennedy advised all politicians to stop trading insults on one another and focus on fighting corruption saying, insults have never healed the sick, neither built a bridge nor fed a hungry child. He said he would also use technology to create jobs and bring about development.

He also noted that with the right combination of technology, the three northern regions could feed the whole of Africa forever. Frustrated over the country's underdevelopment despite its rich natural resources, Dr Kennedy said, want to be President because if I have power, I can transform this country.

The medical doctor said he had a good relationship with all the aspirants and if he were made the flagbearer of the party, it would be easier to receive and work with them.

He dismissed assertions that he was too young to become President, citing Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Tony Blair, Bill Clinton and others who became rulers and leaders of their countries at a young and tender age.

…That the First Lady had packed out and was living with her 41 year old, Accountant son

Reports reaching your authoritative Ghana Palaver indicate that all is not well in the matrimonial home of Ghana’s first lady Mrs. Theresa Kufuor.

The First Lady had parked out of the matrimonial home and was living with her 41 year-old Accountant son because, according to sources close to the President’s residence, she is not happy with the President’s amorous affairs.

Mama Theresa is back in the matrimonial home upon the advise of some well meaning Ghanaians but family sources say, she is not happy at all and that had it not being for the fact that the President has some few more months left of his term in office, the first lady would have asked for a divorce.

The source said for sometime now, Mama Theresa has been complaining about her husband’s respect for her as the mother of his children and she suspect she is not getting her husband’s respect because of the women who come in contact with him in the cause of his duties.

The news of the first lady’s temporary exit from her matrimonial home disturbed most concerned Ghanaians and set tongues waging as some think the situation would not be a good precedence for the up and coming young men and women trying to get into marriage.

The family source said this is not the first time the first lady has threatened to divorce the President, it happened before the 2001 elections when Mama Theresa sought the help of the then Catholic Bishop of Accra, Bishop Andoh to do away with her husband, but the old Catholic Father, rather advised her not to carry out her threat more especially at a time her husband had won elections, it would not speak well of her and the in-coming President.

The first lady took the advice of Bishop Andoh and went back to her husband and has since tried very hard to make the marriage work but her expectation that because of old age, the president would amend his amorous affairs, has not materialized.

According staffers working in the President’s residence, the first lady and the President have had a lot of troubles over female official staffers who accompany the President on his travels and non staffers who call on the President daily without any regard for the first lady.

Some observers said the President is behaving like his friend George W. Bush, the American President, whose wife, Auntie Laura, has also packed out of her matrimonial home.

Another said even though former American President Bill Clinton had problems with his marriage because of the Lewinsky affair, Hilary Clinton never left her husband’s side, adding that “birds of the same feathers flock together, no wonder Mama Theresa has been in and out of the matrimonial home”.

A female member of parliament had this to say when she heard what was happening to the first lady, “Nineteen years of the Rawlings’ never gave Ghanaians any anxious moment to worry about the first couple but we have a lot to worry about hearing what is happening with Kufuor household”.

Most Ghanaians, who have heard the news, seem worried and are seriously praying that the first lady, Mama Theresa at least wait till her husband is out of power before she carries out her threat of divorce.

Some concerned citizens are also worried and are seeking the intervention of the Almighty Lord to soften the heart of the President and give him the wisdom for him to be able to combine his official duties with his family matters.

Many are also looking for ways they can appeal to the President to do all in his power to make peace prevail in the matrimonial home because the young are looking up to the first couple and other older citizens to give them good examples to go by.