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Opinions of Saturday, 9 October 2010

Columnist: Damoa & Antwi

Non-starter Appointees Around Mills are ....

....Talking and Working the Hapless President out of Office in 2012

The culture of triviality and mediocrity has been a spectacular characteristic of the Mills-led NDC administration. As part of his usual political tantrums the founding father of the NDC is not too far from right for calling the Mills’ team names of inapt application to the acquiescence of the hapless President who has yielded to being leader of a supposed “Team ‘B’”. If the sitting President’s équipe of so-called experts for a so-called “Better Ghana” agenda consists of people like Koku Anyidoho as Head of Communications at the Presidency, student-minister Fiifi Kwetey, Rojo Mettle Nunoo then there is no wonder the Mills administration is continually failing.

Anyidoho’s attack on Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo for the apparent misdemeanour of the NPP flag bearer’s daughter as part of his Castle communication is indicative of his frivolity as a high office holder. This unfortunate statement apparently from the President himself through his spokesman has opened the floodgates for other Party affiliated groups to launch a barrage on the celebrated lawyer and politician. It is sad to note that Prof Mills remains stuck to the antiquated communist style unhealthy denigrating political polemics of the 1950s and 60s Ghana that should be buried with all the world’s 20th Century anni mirabilis incidents. The conduct of Prof Mills’ appointees coupled with his own edicts, his policy of political vindictiveness, his actions and inactions and his political philosophies are constructing his hamartia.

May we politely ask Koku Anyidoho if at his age he is still under the tutelage and control of his parents? Such frivolous gossips on celebrities could best be made by unnamed and unspecified reporters. Koku is not only telling Ghanaians that he is incompetent in his office but redundant in his duties hence playing muckraking media mischief. Mills is allowing himself to be seen in the light of a controlled thought-executing President

Instead of tackling serious issues of national importance, Mr Anyidoho is pottering with frippery in the usual ad hominem political polemics, a characteristic culture of NDC veranda boyish propaganda. Such conduct and approach to politics can only be expected of the faex populi lager louts of least identity in society not by people in public offices of trust with ‘big’ names and titles supposed to be egg heads with big brains to deal with issues of grave importance. This is not only reducing politicians to derision and contempt it also portrays a negative image of Ghana’s so-called maturity and advancement in democracy to the outside world as rather relapsing to an Abderian political generation.
It must be succinctly stated that the role of communications Director at the Castle is so revered that Koku is expected to be more proactive in his duties and must use his office and position rather seriously and profitably to tell Ghanaians about what Ghanaians expect of the Presidency such as:
• What Prof. “Do little” is doing to convince Ghanaians that he is actually Prof “Do Something” to live up to his word in his “better Ghana” campaign promise.
• What the Presidency is doing to improve water supply to communities without and with irregular supply of water.
• About what measures the President has in place to levitate the tedium of high electricity tariffs with its attendant power outages.
• What the President “angel” Mills is doing about corruption that has engulfed his administration to the dismay of Ghanaians.
• What henotic measures Mills is taking about tribalism that is tearing Ghana apart emanating from within his government.
• What the President has done or is doing to stamp his authority over the growing threat to his authority and those of his appointees by NDC foot soldiers who threaten national instability
• What the Presidency is doing to secure indiscriminate security and protection for all Ghanaians.
These and many more quite uncountable are expectations from the High Office of Communications Directorate at the Castle not statements branded as amphigory in context and inappropriate to his office. We expect Mr Anyidoho to respect his office at the Castle for same to reflect on him personally as a responsible official of the nation’s seat of government. Hardly would such irresponsible utterances be heard from the advanced Western democracies such as Downing Street or White House spokes person because they speak for the President or Prime minister who speaks with equanimity in dignity
One may realise that all of Prof Mills’ appointees tend to be square-mouthed phillipic who get recognition from him and his Party only through invectives on opponents but not through their knowledge, potentials, capabilities, performance and delivery expected of a government in power. They have woefully reduced politics and political communications to a sort of banter in a manner of political comedy, a situation that has weakened the President’s grip on power and delivery. With a team of “cowboys” of the ilk of Anyidoho, Kwabena Adjei, Fiifi Kwetey etc, there is no wonder a grim failure and under-performance have hung over the Mills administration whiles he struggles in confusion that gets even more implex.

Adreba Kwaku Abrefa Damoa & Peter Antwi
London UK