The Upper East Regional Communication officer of the National Democratic Congress(NDC), Mr. Abdallah Jonathan has clarified that the rational for the directive by the national leadership of the NDC to its members on the appointment Committee not to approve any of the newly appointed nominees is to use the parliamentary process to help government reduce its number of appointees.
Speaking on the Monday edition of the Word Community Watch on Word Fm in relation to the nomination of five appointees for vetting and confirmation, Mr. Abdallah said the current economic challenges that Ghana finds itself require government to heed to the cry of the public to reduce his ministers.
” Many people have complained that times are hard and have asked government to cut down on its budget by reducing the number of ministers because these ministers are paid huge sums of money as compensation, so if the number is reduced, government will save some money to help our economy to revamp. The Christian Council and various CSOs and well meaning Ghanaians have called on government to reduce the number of his appointees but the president hasn’t responded to the cry of the public yet.”
Mr. Abdallah opined that the president has the greatest of opportunities to reduce his government by realigning some ministries with the resignation of some ministers of his government.
“We are not saying he shouldn’t appoint ministers to help his administration but he should take a second look at his ministers by changing some of them and realign some of the ministries. For instance the ministry of roads. We have a minister in charge of transport, minister in charge of railways and we used to have a minister in charge of aviation. Just one sector and we have as many as three ministers. That’s not good. As we speak, what is the Minister of railways doing? How many coaches do we have? So such ministers could have been moved to occupy the vacant ministries. “
Mr Abdallah explained that because president Akufo Addo has paid a death ear to the request by the public to downsize the number of his ministers, the NDC has decided to use the parliamentary process to help him reduce the number of ministers in his government.
” So our party has observed that the president has refused to heed to the call by the public to reduce his government. So our party has decided to use our member of Parliament on the appointment committee not to approve these appointees. We want to use the parliamentary process to help the president to reduce the number of ministers in government.”
The former deputy communication director of the New Patriotic Party, Mr.Johnson Ayine on the same show, has however chastised the opposition NDC for the directive to their MPs. He has described their intended action as backward and attempt to destabilise the running of the country.
” This is where you can differentiate the NDC from the NPP. NPP is always looking at how to move the country by initiating policies and programs but the NDC will never introduce any policy except to criticise whatever government introduces but when you give them the node, they come and do nothing. They are interested in destruction.”
Mr. Johnson said it is not entirely true that government appointees have bloated because the president has removed the deputy ministers which has reduced the number of appointees.
Parliament begun the vetting of president Akuffo Addo’s nominees on Monday 20th February, 2023, with the MPs from the NDC side taking part fully.
By: Simon Agana Blessing/mywordfmonline.com.