Fellow countrymen and women, God has blessed us with yet another promising week. The past week was very hectic for me; nonetheless, I managed to tackle some of the daunting tasks I scheduled.
My appointment as ECOWAS Chairman has increased the tally of roles I must play as President. Aside crafting measures to solve the never-ending problems of our country, my eyes are also firmly glued on quenching the ‘flames’ in other West African countries that are on the brink of implosion.
As you know, whatever happens in other countries in the sub-region could have negative impact in our country, therefore, assisting them fight what I would say is the common enemy retarding the growth and development of the continent is not out of place as some wont us believe.
Like I did last week, let me thank all of you for your prayers and support. My humble request is that at our free will, let all of us go down on our knees and ask God for guidance. My fervent conviction is that, If God has brought us this far, he will surely see as through this torrid times. I take succor in the book of Galatians 6:7, which states “do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” May I hear the believers say Amen!
For those who have vowed not to spend even a second of their time to offer prayers for the country, I urge them to continue to live in their sense of wickedness, as our brothers, the Nigerians put it “country broke or Ino broke oooh, we all dey inside”
My brothers and sisters, I strongly believe you all followed closely activities I engaged in last week. Topical among the things I did last week was my meeting with West African Heads of State in Accra and the release of my first batch of the much-anticipated ministerial reshuffle.
Due to the sensitive nature of the issues discussed at the meeting I had with the West African leaders, I wouldn’t want to talk about, but I believe many of you know the meeting centered on the atrocities of terrorist groups in the Sub-region, particularly in Nigeria and Mali. I crave your indulgence to allow me keep those burning security matters close to my chest. At the appropriate time when the need arises, I will brief you on it.
My address today will focus on my first ministerial reshuffle and the ongoing debate in sections of the media to the effect that our country should do away with the presidential system and revert to the Westminster model we once practiced.
Before I discussed that, I must say I was not comfortable with the way the Black Stars played in their international friendly game against The Netherlands. I’m less bothered about the score line. My concern is the game itself and how individual players and the technical team exhibited their talents; that is if they have any. The game exposed lots of lapses in our team that Kwesi Appiah and his men must find urgent remedies before the team touch-base in Brazil for the world tournament.
Lest I forget, I must plead with you for the traffic congestion in Accra last Friday while the meeting of West African Heads of State was in session. Since Ghana has accepted the arduous task as head of ECOWAS, we must bear the brunt of some of these tribulations. On behalf of government and my colleague Heads of State, I apologize profusely for the inconveniences our meeting caused you.
Now to the reason(s) why I sacked some of my ministers and swapped others to inject the kind of freshness all of you have been looking for in my government. To start with, the 1992 constitution gives me powers to hire and fire and I’m under no obligation to explain to anybody why I took such a decision. Reasons why I brought Alex Segbefia back to government and why I moved Benita Sena Okiti-Duah from the Gender ministry to the Fisheries ministry will be subjects for discussion on another day. What I want to focus on now is why I sacked the Local Government Minister, Kwesi Oppong Fosu and why I appointed Dr John Kofi Baffoe as Technical Adviser to the Minister of Finance. As for Kwesi Oppong Fosu, I’m well aware that he knew his continuous stay in my government was untenable. Much of the problems I have with my party folks were brought forth by him. His rich experience as local government expert attracted me and I made him head of that ministry. Little did I know that his experience in local government was only good for classroom work!
His tenure was marred by one of the widespread rejections of nominees for MMDCE positions in Ghana’s history. In instances where his crass incompetence had resulted in a rejection of a nominee, he quickly ordered for the withdrawal of the appointment of government appointees for warp and lame alibi that they were the cause of the rejections. As an expert, I expected him to know that most of the government appointees are constituency executives of a party he is MP, therefore sending them home in such backward and crude manner could cause me the next election.
In the Sefwi Akontombra district for instance, I was told he ordered the withdrawal of some government appointees and the Presiding Member who was just elected a week to his sacking. Out of shock, the Presiding Member was said to have collapsed and that was the end of his days on earth. Is that a mark of an expert in a particular field?
His handling of filth in the capital city was appalling to the extent that I had no option than to show him the exit. Initially, I had wanted to allow him to stay on and fire him after the World cup, but recent developments at his ministry made me rescind my decision.
My initial decision to allow him stay on was informed by plans to allow him enjoy the Mundial just like any other Ghanaian will do, but now that his own actions have forced me to match him out, I don’t think he will have the heart to watch the matches like I or any other Ghanaian will do. My other appointees who are rejoicing that my “house-cleaning” exercise did not get to their ministry should continue jubilating, but I can assure them that after the World cup, they will get to know the bitter side of me. Because I’ve been so nice to them, some of them have become dictators at their ministries. They take decisions at will without consulting anybody. In instances where there are technocrats and experience hands they have to consult, they by-pass them and do things their own way which backfiring effect comes to haunt my government and paint me in bad light in the eyes of Ghanaians. But we shall all see after the World cup!
A typical example of ministers exhibiting dictatorial tendencies, full of pride and do not show regard to anybody or his working colleagues is Hon Seth Terkper. I have my own reasons for not sacking him. But for some reasons, his name would have been first on the reshuffle list before Kwesi Oppong Fosu.
I pity Terkper a lot but he does not pity himself. Aside the Finance Ministry, I don’t have any other place for him in my government. I don’t control IMF that I will say I will take him there, but Terkper carries himself as though he is a repository of all knowledge in the management of a country’s economy.
He has a pool of walking encyclopedias at his disposal that he can tap into their expertise without having to pay a penny, but no, Terkper won’t do it. His relationship with the Economic Management Team is poor, he does not consult them. He does things in his own way. I sometimes wonder the role he played when he served as deputy minister of finance in the late Prof Mills’ government. I dare say he was more of a spectator at the finance ministry when his boss Dr. Duffuor and others at the ministry were busily doing the magic.
I don’t want to sack him, so I’ve given him a technical adviser in the person of Dr. Baffoe. In real sense, I’ve ‘retired’ him to the spectator role he played at the finance ministry during the reign of my predecessor. Dr. Baffoe is now the de-facto Finance minister. He is now in the driving seat. I expect Terkper to cooperate with him, if he dare do those his things, like he did to members of the Economic Management Team and the other eminent economists in my party and government; I would have no option than to end my romance with him. I can’t continue to sympathize with him while my government collapses.
After all, under the presidential model of government the country is currently practicing, I have the utmost powers to fire him without giving reasons to anybody why I did that. His chiefs from the Krobo-land who he commissioned to jump to his defense when there was intense pressure on me to sack him should advise him to swallow his pride and burry his over-bloated ego and put-up with the Technical Adviser and the rest of the Economic Management Team or risk losing his job.
The mentioning of the presidential system of government brings me to a raging debate resurrected by Chairman of Antrak Air, Dr Alhaji Asuma Banda and the Minority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, on the need for Ghana to revert to the Westminster model of governance the country once practiced.
For a start, I must state that the two statesmen spoke my mind. I’ve publicly made my thoughts known on this subject. I have in previous times spoke against the concentration of too much power to the presidency by the framers of our constitutions. This has defeated the advocacy for checks and balances in governance. All the problems facing this country, particularly the ones relating to corruption, acrimonious elections and others must be blamed on the presidential system of government.
Before I continue, let me serve notice that I might not be able to finish discussing this subject, therefore, I will touch on aspects of it and do detail analysis of it in my next address to you.
For the avoidance of doubt and to those who are lurking in the dark without any understanding of AlhajiAsuma Banda’s advocacy, The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modeled after the politics of the United Kingdom. The pattern of executive functions within a Westminster System is quite complex.
In essence, the head of state, usually a monarch or president, is a ceremonial figurehead who is the nominal or de jure source of executive power within the system. In practice, such a figure does not actively exercise executive powers, even though executive authority may be exercised in his/her name.
The head of government, usually called the prime minister or premier, will ideally have the support of a majority in the legislative House, and must in any case be able to ensure the existence of no absolute majority against the government.
Executive authority within a Westminster System is essentially exercised by the Cabinet, along with more junior ministers, although the head of government usually has the dominant role within the ministry.
In this case, the Prime Minister or Premiere is a Member of Parliament whose party has majority in the legislative House and he/she is always in parliament to answer questions from everyone in the law making House on any subject.
The presidential system Ghana is currently practicing makes us (presidents) “Kings” and dictators than servants that we ought to be.
The presidency is entrusted with so much powers that it can decide on what it wants to do at will. Sometimes, I tell myself that the constitution has given me too much powers that I can’ carry.
All the problems of this country are a result of the presidency’s wielding of too much powers. My authority has made me to cow all MPs of my party into submission. Those who are against some of my decisions and policies cannot come out to voice it out. They dare not! All my MPs are looking up for favors from me, so they dare not stage opposition to my policies else I shut the door at them. As I said earlier, this is a broad topic that I need much time to discuss. I promise you that next week, I’ll not discuss any topic aside it. I will devote all the time to it and explain it properly.
Until then, may the Lord bless you and keep you; may he make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you and may he lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Adieu! A. A Yayra [email protected] 3-06-14