Veteran sports journalist Gary Al-Smith has waded into the ongoing conversation about President John Mahama’s use of his brother Ibrahim Mahama’s private jet for official travel, and his message is straightforward: kindly step away from your brother’s private jet.
Gary’s concern isn’t about the cost, it’s about the message. He acknowledges that Ibrahim Mahama may be offering the jet out of goodwill, but argues that in the court of public opinion, appearances carry weight.
“Even if it’s completely free, the perception is damaging. We’ve fought too hard as a nation to allow this kind of family access to the presidency to become normalised,” he said.
He warned that governance doesn’t exist in a vacuum. What one president does sets a tone for those who follow.
If Mahama uses his brother’s jet, why wouldn’t a future president feel entitled to do the same, perhaps with far less noble intentions?
Gary’s solution is simple: the state should either rent or purchase its own aircraft. No more ambiguity.
No more blurred lines between family privilege and state responsibility.
“Mr. President, please stop. The optics are poor, and the precedent is dangerous,” he concluded.
