General News of Sunday, 17 October 2010

Source: fricawatch Magazine

The political rulers of Ghana graded

Who’s who in Ghana and how they are doing on the job*

*The political rulers of Ghana graded according to their performances*

NEW YORK, NY – A new grading system of Ghana’s rulers called the Political
Performance Index (PPI) has hit town, courtesy of *Africawatch*, the
pan-African magazine of choice.

The PPI is an extensive, brand-new grading system that covers the President,
Ministers of State, and all 230 MPs in Parliament, based on their job
performances.

The grading system is based on individual assessments of professional
Ghanaians made up of experts in various fields and different political
persuasions.

One group was tasked to assess and give percentage marks to the President
based on his performance in five areas: foreign policy, economic
development, social interventions, political development and national
security.

A second group was asked to assess and give percentage marks to all the
ministers of state using four pointers: Policy articulation and
implementation, managerial and supervision effectiveness, human relations
and ethics

Another group was made up of senior parliamentary correspondents from
various media outlets and former MPs. They were asked to assess and give
percentage marks to all the 230 MPs based on their performance in the House,
using five benchmarks:

(a) Knowledge about lawmaking and the constitution
(b) How active they are in legislative business
(c) Contribution to parliamentary debates and how their ideas and
suggestions reflect society’s needs and interests
(d) Tolerance of views divergent to his or her party’s policies and agenda
(e) Ethics

None of the individuals knew, and still do not know, the other members of
their evaluation groups. These were blind groups. Members operated
individually, and thus the aggregate of their views and marks is highly
credible.

*Africawatch* merely put their percentage marks together and struck an
average, which then determined the grade that the President, ministers of
state, and the MPs got at the end.
It was quite revealing. And it is going to be an annual affair. From now on,
*Africawatch* will publish the Political Performance Index every year for
the President, ministers of state, deputy ministers, and all the MPs in
parliament.

“Democracy in Ghana will flourish better if the country has a system to
fairly assess the performance of its political rulers,” said Mr. Steve
Mallory, editor of *Africawatch* magazine.

Mr. Mallory is confident that this Political Performance Index will enhance
democracy, and ensure proper accountability and transparency in the politics
of Ghana.

The 2010 Political Performance Index premieres in the October issue of *
Africawatch,* which is out on newsstands.
*
Africawatch is a general purpose magazine, reporting on the entire continent
and regularly features articles on all issues, including politics, business,
economics, environment, health, entertainment, culture and sports.*

*Contact:*
Naomi Nanjira
Africawatch Magazine
Phone: 212-586-4141
Fax: 212-586-4272
E-mail: Africawatch.gms@gmail.com