Social commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs, has advised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to begin reshuffling his government officials.
Speaking on Peace FM's morning programme "Kokrokoo", Allotey Jacobs wondered why the President's appointees are comfortably sitting in their offices while the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) deceive Ghanaians.
His comment comes after recent statements by former President John Mahama about President Nana Akufo-Addo's administration.
Mr. Mahama was of a strong opinion that President Nana Addo and his New Patriotic Party (NPP) have failed Ghanaians.
“On the economic front, Nana AKufo Addo and the NPP pledged to transform Ghana within 18 months, grow our economy at double digit, reduce borrowing, ensure fiscal discipline, bring down the cost of living, lower taxes and protect the public purse. They promised also to move Ghana from taxation to production. In effect, none of these has been achieved. Instead, Ghanaians have been subjected to excruciating hardship and deprivation, resulting directly from the mismanagement of the economy by a government that lacks the humility to accept responsibility and the capacity to appropriately diagnose the root causes of the challenges that have brought us here”, Mr. Mahama said at a public lecture on the theme "Ghana at a Crossroads" held at the Kempinski Hotel on Monday, May 2, 2022.
Mentioning one of the repressive policies by the Akufo-Addo government which, to the former President, is the E-Levy, he pledged to repeal it if he makes a return to government in 2025.
"A new National Democratic Congress government, God willing and with the votes of the sovereign people of Ghana – in 2025 – will repeal the E-Levy Act. Even as this government remains fixated with taxing their way out of economic mismanagement, the Akufo-Addo government has been wasteful. They have failed to demonstrate prudence in public financial management. The people of Ghana cannot be called upon to pay more taxes only for the accruing money belonging to the people of Ghana, to be dubiously and wastefully shared among family and friends through various fraudulent procurement practices."
Allotey Jacobs blames the government officials for allowing Mahama and his NDC to pull the wool over Ghanaian's eyes.
To him, the appointees are not doing much to counter the statements by the Ex-President and members of the opposition National Democratic Congress.
He therefore called on them to step out of their offices to preach the good works of the President.
"There should be a change in our political administration, especially as with regards to appointees. We cannot always be sitting in the comfort of our offices. The government appointees must know that those who voted for their party, majority of them are not as educated as they are. So, the way and manner you came down and talked with them to vote for your party is the same way you should come down to talk to them when you get the power, and that is what political parties or parties in government are lacking. Don't sit in the comfort of your offices," he said, adding that "the President must do a reshuffle".
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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Uncle you have said it all. The problem of NPP and its government is the inability to sell the good works of their stewardship. Look at someone who implemented 17.5% banking sector charges u shamefully accusing the one who has introduced 1.5 E-levy. Even condoms and cutlasses were taxed in his regime yet he is pretending to love Ghanaians more than Nana Addo. If the one whom you call a failure and non social democratic is able to gift Ghanaians Free SHS education, support teachers and nurses with allowances, recruit people into public sector, provide 307 modern ambulances at a goal, built dams, establish 107 1D1F, constructing asphalted roads etc, then one would have expected the one who is preaching to be a social democrat and loving Ghanaians to have done better, but what we do remember of him are dumsor through out his tenure, cancelation of nursing and teacher training allowances, running to IMF to freeze job at public sector, gargantuan creat, loot and share corruptions, exorbitant school fees at SHS, unprecedented poor roads and infrastructure, over inflation of contract cost, lack of common chalks for schools etc. If NPP cannot sell their good messages, then people who can't think far will dictate for them because they think that Ghanaians have short memories. If the NDC with insignificant achievement was bold to decieve Ghanaians with green book then the NPP must come out immediately with Gold Book. They should show all the 1D1F companies and highlight what they are producing. In fact they should ensure that every company involved products are in the markets and adverts are intensified for them. Now if you mention that the government has commissioned 107 1D1F projects the critics quickly ask where are they and their products? and you can't answer because those who are supposed to show us where they are keep on sleeping on their jobs
Interesting, Danquah, Busia and Dombo created a good path for future leaders of the tradition, former president Kufuor came and widened the path. One would have thought that Akuffo Addo coming will witness a further widening of the path. Unfortunately under his watch the path is overgrown with weeds no wonder an NPP stalwart, Nana Akomeah honestly admitted the NPP is not the most popular party in Ghana currently. If you inherit your father's house and can't build one on your own at least also build a varenda attached to the house, this Akuffo Addo has woefully failed to do. If he doesn't change immediately he will go down as the worse president in Ghana's history. Five years on Akuffo Addo can't do a simple reshuffle. Same ministers for Roads, transport, interior, defence, agriculture, foreign affairs, trade, national security. So you keep asking yourself whether Akuffo Addo actually learnt anything under president kufour as a cabinet minister. Under kufour you were moved from attorney general to foreign affairs so you should know what reshuffle is. The fact that Akuffo Addo lead with 49% in the 2008 elections means the NPP was still the popular choice of Ghanaians. Kufour's 2001 elephant had big ears and listened a lot and acted accordingly. The 2017 elephant equally have big ears too, unfortunately it doesn't listen, at best it hears but won't listen. Just check the recently held NPP constituency elections, most of the old executives lost miserably, a clear signal that the party's grassroots are not happy. Bet me, if NPP party delegates were to vote to elect regional ministers and MMDCEs, 95 % of them will lose, some will even record single digit votes. Five years on we have regional ministers and MMDCEs who have never called a party meeting to hear the concerns and suggestions of the ordinary party supporter. Surprisingly, these are the very regional ministers and MMDCEs chanting ' break the 8', you don't have your own biological child of 18 years and above i.e. the legal age to qualify to vote in Ghana, so who's 18 year old and above are you counting on to queue and vote for the NPP to 'break the 8' ?. A group of inward looking, greedy, selfish, self centered,arrogant and full of empty pride who represents nobody but themselves. This current NPP is the direct opposite of the kufour one. Rather unfortunate