Mills Has No Intention Of Reshuffling His Cabinet – Okudzeto Ablakwa

A Deputy Information Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has discounted media reports that a major ministerial reshuffle that would see some ministers and deputy ministers receive their quit orders from the Atta-Mills led Government is in the offing, describing them as “mere speculation”.

The Chronicle newspaper on Monday, August 8th published under a screaming headline “Mills Drops Duffuor, 3 Others”, that President Mills, after defeating former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings in the NDC’s presidential primaries, appears to have now settled down to doing serious government business and intends dropping some appointees from his list of Cabinet Ministers in a major reshuffle expected soon.

According to the publication, National Security Coordinator, Lt Col Gbevlo Lartey (rtd), and three other ministers; Dr. Kwabena Duffour, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr. Moses Bukari Mabengba, Northern Regional Minister, and his Volta Regional counterpart, Joseph Amewowode, are on their way out of the Mills-Mahama administration.

But speaking in an interview with Suhini Alhassan on Radio Gold, the Deputy Information Minister was explicit that “President Mills has no intention currently to reshuffle his ministers and even if he has, he has not yet made it known or official”. He therefore regards the publication in the Chronicle as unfortunate and posits that unless the publishers of the newspaper are soothsayers; then there is no iota of truth in the publication.

“When the President decides to take that decision, he will make it public…how can the Chronicle newspaper report authoritatively with such a headline when the President has not said or done anything of that nature? I think it is unfortunate and we needed to come out and clear the air quickly. There has been no reshuffle and even if such a thing is to happen, the President will inform Ghanaians about it because he runs a transparent administration…unless you say that you are in the President’s mind, certainly, you cannot pontificate on such matters…,” he said.

He, however, added that should the President reshuffle his team, no government appointee should be too disappointed because no one is indispensable.

“It will be arrogant for any Minister to think that he or she cannot be changed from his position by the President. As soon as you accept to become a Minister of State, you must always have in your mind that you can be disappointed at any time; not necessarily that you have done anything wrong or underperformed, it might be for a strategic purpose just like a football match. If you wake up every morning and you still have your position, you should thank God and continue with your work…,” he added.

He reiterated that the President has no intention of reshuffling his Cabinet yet, and for that reason, the publication in the Chronicle newspaper, should be considered as ‘mere speculation’.

Source: Rebecca Quaye/Peacefmonline.com