Performance of Ministers - In response to Kwesi Pratt

Your attack on the performance of ministers could be in the right
direction, since it could make them sit up and give a good account of
themselves. It is however important to make the criticism clear by
stating the measure or the parameter of your judgment. A blanket
condemnation of all ministers is not very helpful.

You cited the Acheampong administration and its operation feed yourself
and backyard gardening program as a management style that must be
emulated. Operation feed yourself or backyard gardening, to some of us
were mere slogans which yielded nothing. If the production and
exportation of farm produce increased as some will want us to believe,
then why did we suffer such acute foreign exchange shortage during that
period? Remember, Ghanaians left for Nigeria en mass.

The simplest definition for management is working through people, if you
do it yourself; you are not managing. If you do not see a manager
running all over the place it does not mean that he is do nothing.
Oftentimes those who are running all over are playing to the gallery,
throwing dust into the eyes of the public or pretending to be working -
it usually is plain bravado.

If a ministry should delay the salary of teachers or nurse and which
causes them to withdraw their services for innocent patients to die or
students go untaught, one can argue a clear case of nonperformance or
ineptitude; and a few heads have to roll to put things in order.



Jake Addo
Chairman (NDC)
Site 18 Branch