Editorial by Ghanaian Times: Change current hardship narrative

The much-awaited ministerial reshuf­fle has finally taken place but some are of the view that it has happened too late.

Maybe those who think so have their mind on the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, who sacked all the 137 Members of Parliament from his own party, the ruling New Patri­otic Party (NPP), demand­ed in early November 2022 for causing the country’s worst economic crisis in a gener­ation.

As promised, it appears President Akufo-Addo is satisfied with the efforts of Ofori-Atta regarding the country’s bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Now, he has been re­placed by Mohammed Amin Adam and it will be everyone’s hope that after Parliament has ap­proved his appointment, he will work hard to bring a change that will reduce the hardship in the country now.

The public says his ap­proval is a done deal so he should begin to consider what will constitute the magic wand he would use to change the situation to enhance the chances of his party “breaking the eight.”

Probably, some elements of the vision of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice Presi­dent, and NPP’s flagbearer, can be implemented now.

Will it be wrong to start abolishing E-Levy and oth­er taxes that have become regressive now?

The Ministry of Finance is the oxygen of the coun­try’s progress and so the buck stops at its door when the economy goes wrong.

That is not to say that other ministries are not as important.

The point is that the finance ministry must be effective in making sure all the other ministries and sectors under them have their budgets to prosecute their projects and pro­grammes.

Some think the reshuffle will be of little effect com­ing less than 10 months to this year’s general election in which the ruling party, the New Patriotic Party, can be retained in power or voted out.

However, others think it can make some impact if the ministers reassigned or newly appointed consider the need to work ingen­uously to meet whatever reason for which the Pres­ident has given them their portfolios.

We want to go along with these people in the sense that even though the President did not give reason(s) for relieving some of his ministers of their posts completely, reassign­ing some, and bringing on new ones, we can conclude that he has done so as a strategy.

Remember that even some of the ministers dropped from public view are going to be working in the Presidency.

Ofori-Atta, for instance, is the minister of state at the finance ministry.

It is, therefore, our hope that the ministers reassigned, the new ones and those “not touched” would work hard enough to change the current negative narrative about the govern­ment.

They should try to make the good things the govern­ment has done become so glaring to the public now that the Akufo-Addo gov­ernment is going to end its second term in months.

That legacy should be one in the public interest that even the opposition would want to continue should it win power.