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�.