<<Print>>

The refusal of the Managing Director of the Metro Mass Transit Company to hire out buses to convey New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters to Sekondi�s Essipong Stadium sounded like a wild rumour at first. It was too absurd to be credible, given especially that the company is state-owned. When it turned out to be an exact reflection of the actions of Maxwell Awuku, the man who directed the operation from his Accra office, many who heard it could only shake their heads in disbelief. It sounded absurd that after the Western Regional Manager of the company had given approval for the business, the Managing Director in Accra would ask that offices of the company be closed before normal closing time, in an effort to thwart the transaction. Although the decision to reject the NPP�s offer was reversed afterwards, it was informed by an apprehension over the future fallout of the precedent which would have been set by Mr. Awuku�s nonsense. We now understand why the likes of him are shoved out when a new government takes over the mantle of leadership in the country. It might not be a good thing to do but the manner in which some dyed-in-the-wool NDC persons are conducting themselves in public offices would make a resistance to the anomaly rather difficult or even impossible when President Mills exits the ephemeral office of the Presidency. When a purely business arrangement is afflicted by the politicisation contagion, destroying serious ventures in the country, we are encouraged to do more to rid Ghana of this self-inflicted cankerworm. We would be belabouring the point by recalling the genesis of the MMT. Suffice it to point out however that it is one of the outstanding achievements of the NPP, a fact embedded in the �Kufuor bus� tag which buses in the fleet of the company bear today. It would sound ironic therefore that today, the party under whose regime this and other developments were introduced into the country would be denied access to them even under purely business terms devoid of discounts. If there is anything like a mockery of governance, this is it! As a state enterprise expected to make profit, we have serious doubts about how a personality like Awuku would run the MMT efficiently. Mr. Awuku can certainly not be considered a personality who should be entrusted with serious business such as a transport company. Perhaps, it is bad decisions of this kind that have led to the depletion of the fleet of buses. The company has become a black-hole, swallowing buses committed to it, of course with political jokers like Awuku at its head. Hearing his remarks in reaction to the NPP�s prayer meeting left us in no doubt about his political activism. Why would a personality managing government business spew such nonsense, saying: �It is surprising that the NPP has realised the importance of prayers after on several occasions castigating President Mills for turning the seat of government, the Osu Castle into a prayer camp.� An appropriate candidate for a serial calling assignment on pro-NDC radio stations, certainly not for the management of a profit-making venture. Mr Awuku should take note that there is everything wrong with turning the seat of government of a secular country such as ours into a prayer camp. When you appoint thug-like men to manage businesses, you are sure not going to make any dividends. Ghana should have grown past this notch; unfortunately retrogression seems to be the order as President Mills�s appointees look at everything with the political lens. Mr. Awuku is indeed an appropriate case study on politicisation of state enterprises, for business students.