Mills Goofs

…For Sacrificing Nii Armah Ashitey For Afotey Agbo

From the Political Desk

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government led by President John Evans Atta Mills has once again goofed in due process and its decision making, in its quest to prosecute its much touted “Better Ghana Agenda”.

Since the President took control of the political administration of the country, it has been putting square pegs in round holes with respect to the appointment of men and women to key positions to manage the affairs of the country.
This phenomenon has resulted in high turnover of ministers in certain ministries, leaving in its wake inefficiency, inertia, lack of direction and the requisite stability required for those ministries to perform their core mandates.

The President’s choice of personal and subsequent reshuffle of ministers, party aficionados say, has angered the rank and file of the party including the founder of the NDC and ex-President of Ghana Jerry John Rawlings as well as Dr. Ekow Spio Garbrah who even described some of the sitting President’s functionaries as team “B” players.
Judging by the rate at which ministers have been reshuffled over a period of three and half years, it is clear that President Mills is yet to get the required blend of personnel to prosecute his agenda. Does the President lack the requisite knack required of a leader to identify and harness the right talents to manage the affairs of the country?
His latest reshuffle of ministers has sent tongues wagging with some party gurus questioning the rationale behind such a move with some stretching the argument that the President is more interested in appointing men and women who will lick his boot, praise sing him to positions rather than putting competent men and women in strategic points to prosecute the bread and butter issues of the citizenry.
Some rank and file of the party in the Greater Accra region and some members of the Greater Accra caucus in parliament are said to be livid about the way and manner the President dropped Nii Armah Ashitey from the position as the Greater Accra regional Minister for the current Minister of the region, Mr. Afotey Agbo.
They say when Nii Armah Ashitey was the administrative head of the region; he distinguished himself with excellence and professionalism. Some have even heaped praise on him saying, he is competent, eloquent, politically savvy and astute persona who has struck a harmonious working relationship with the Mayor of Accra, Mr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije.
This cordial relationship, they alluded, has led to the proper administration of the Greater Accra region and brought socio-political stability to a region which is the hot bed and bed rock of political activity and the nerve centre of the socio-economic activity of Ghana.
In the heat of the campaign by the mayor of Accra to demolish unauthorized structures in the city in order to decongest and bring sanity to the capital of Ghana known for its indiscipline record, Mr. Afotey Agbo, who was then working at the Office of the President, was a strident critic of the move by the mayor.
He was quoted in various media outfits as saying that Ghana is not America; in apparent reference to Mr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije who has spent a considerable part of his working life in the United States of America, precisely in the city of Chicago.
Political connoisseurs are wondering how these two key personalities tasked to manage the affairs of the region can work in a coordinated manner, judging by the previous frosty relationship between the two. Is this decision by the President to pair Hon. Afotey Agbo and Mr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije to manage the affairs of the region a wise political decision?
Some party bigwigs and foot soldiers are also not comfortable with the posture and leadership style of the current Greater Accra regional Minster because they say he his brutish and has an abrasive character, a trait they described as repulsive and will not inure to the political fortunes of the party because he will not be able to carry the rank and file of the party along with him and woo the floating voters into the fold of the party; a critical factor needed to win elections.

Source: The Citizen Newspaper (+233 27 731 4655) thecitizen.news@yahoo.com