General News of Friday, 18 March 2011

Source: AR

Bitter sacked Sekondi-Takoradi mayor to 'spill the beans'

It has always been the practice since Ghana’s independence that political appointees are never informed when their dismissal is imminent.

But one man, the mayor of Sekondi-Takoradi in the western region, Mr Kobina Annan Prah, who lost his job through a radio announcement, is so peeved that he has decided to fight back.

Mr Prah believes that was not the right way to announce the sacking of political appointees and has accused President John Atta Mills of allowing some powerful figures within the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to manipulate his sacking.

In effect, Mr Prah is challenging the President’s prerogative to hire and fire and has threatened to expose “secrets” of the NDC.

The ex-mayor complained President Mills had embarrassed him by announcing his dismissal on air instead of doing so through a formal letter to him.

“He should have written or informed me by other means about my dismissal. I was in office when people started calling me to find out about my dismissal. This is an embarrassment to me," he said.

He pointed out that at the time when President Mills decided to appoint him, he gave him a formal appointment letter; therefore he expected the president to follow the same procedure when terminating his appointment.

A former activist

Mr Prah then added an ominous warning to the NDC: “I have gathered enough arsenals to spill the beans to the public, and I am waiting for their response.”