General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia has described as unreasonable justification from the Nana-Addo led administration that the previous government left behind a bad economy; hence the need for a ‘bigger’ team.
“The argument that the economy is so destroyed so they need a bigger team to do the work; it doesn’t make sense (excuse my language). Are they saying that when you have a weak economy which does not have the capacity to spend on a bigger overhead, is that the time you appoint more ministers that will require a lot more money to be paying them? When you are talking about competence; are they telling us that when you have an incompetent person doing one job, you need three competent people to be doing that same job? Is that what they want to imply?” he queried.
General Mosquito as he is popular called, told TV3, Wednesday that a government that is complaining of the economy, should not appoint a lot of people since those appointed would have to be paid and catered for.
“Their salaries and overheads will just make the cost of doing business more expensive…If they don’t know how to calculate value for money tell them that a ministry which is headed by one person; if it takes a decision, you can calculate the cost of that decision as supposed to a ministry which is headed by four ministers. Each of them have to be paid, housed, transported around on free fuel, land cruisers, saloon cars and all that…what is the point in not being able to recruit nurses and pay them and u rather choose to employ more ministers and pay them with the money. It comes to priority; wrong priority setting” he added.
Asiedu Nketia’s comment comes on the back of President Akufo Addo’s appointment of 50 deputy ministers and 4 new ministers.
President Akufo Addo presented a list of 54 ministers on Wednesday, making the total number of appointees in his administration 110.
This has generated a lot of controversies as some critics thinks the number of ministers will put a stress on the public purse. Others have also described it as 'job for the boys'.
However, Mustapha Hamid says the number will rather help the President in achieving most of his promises as well as lift the economy back on its feet.
“We never promised a lean government. Nowhere did we promise a lean government, because in our view it is not the leanness or bigness of a government that determines its output and its ultimate performance. We have had, in the history of this country, governments that are smaller that have landed this country in bigger debt and bigger mess than governments that have had bigger ministers. For example, the Kufuor government, apart from this Akufo-Addo government, would have been the government that had the biggest number of ministers and deputy ministers. But everybody knows President Kufuor’s record in this country. Everybody knows what we did for this nation at the end of President Kufour’s government. Those who came subsequently after that and created all the financial mess that we have on our hands which we are still dealing with had a smaller government. So I can purport to run a government with 10 ministers and still create an avenue to loot our nation if that is what the Ghanaian people want or to have a government that is bigger than that but which has people of integrity, honesty who are on the job and doing the things that ought to be done” the Minister of Information said.
But General Mosquito insists that “to come and say that we didn’t promise a lean government so we are at liberty to do whatever we want, I think that it is rather rubbing pepper in the wound. It is not correct at all”
He queried: “what work will the ministers be doing themselves? Ministers are there to take decisions for people to work; so they shouldn’t let it appear as if the ministers themselves are the ones going to do the work…That argument is falsehood. Then they should proceed to appoint one district one minister so that each minister will be responsible for one district so they can finish the work quickly”.
Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com
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I think it is honesty and transparency to appoint a number of people to manage this country who will be known by everybody, than to appoint few people as ministers and clandestinely pad the ministries with people who only bleed the economy as hangers-on as happened previously. When the job is big and difficult, you get more people to finish the work early. Even our dear NGOs employ more hands if they have a big job to complete within a specific time frame. Please, don't listen to Asiedu Nketiah.He is a political demagogue.
The people who were complaining about the hardship in the economy during the last regime are people with Brains & Wisdom hence understands that 2 months is not enough for any president to transform any economy. It is only F00OOLS like you who will demand Economy Transformation at a time the president is even still appointing his ministers. Anyone with human brains will know that we need to give the new government sometime. You are all here making noise about the number of ministers including that iddiottt call Franklin Cudjo; But how do you expect the new president to do same things as his predecessors and expect a different results? That is the Black Mentality; full of F00OLISHNESS. Well for your information; in order to get different results you must do things differently. Nana Addo is the president, leave him to do his job and ask for accountability when his time comes. I'm not saying we shouldn't criticise but why this time? It is his strategy and what we seek to find is results. So stop your F00OLISH talks and let the competent man work for the better of Ghana. if you think you know Better go and campaign and become the president. Until then stop behaving like uncivilised individuals even though you are. GET SOME BRAINS
We also need a minister for the seizing of public toilets as soon as possible.
What is the president waiting for ? Arrest all these NDC ***barred word*** and jail them for life or sentence them to death like their founder did to simple hardworking Ghanaians who worked hard for their money for the simple reason that they were corrupt and had too much money ....in the end what have we had from the 30 years Ndc ruled Ghana ,Bad debts 1110 billions of debt within 6yrs nd u Asiedu Nketia have the nerve to open your mouth ??? U think we 've forgotten bout your fraudulent deals at the bui dam where u duped Ghana of millions of cedis ,go to hell nd and comeback u 'll go to Jail.U should think about all the judgement debts u caused Ghana and the monies U 've stolen ,so what if it's a big government as long as they deliver and don't cost us 110 billion after 6yrs then we like it even if they are 200 ministers so shut your foul mouth and think about your jail time....
Mr. Ntim, God bless you for your thoughts. It's very sad some people will support anything because of their political affiliation.
You still have not learnt any lesson from your kantata politics that sent you to opposition. Your comfortable zone indeed is the opposition. Kwa*seabinti analysis.
Hahhahaha...this Asiedu Nkas3i is just a comic relief
I don't blame the politicians. I blame Civil Society, the Moral Society, some Media outlets and some opinion leaders who have led us into this mess. Impression was created as though the former government was a body of evil people. For weeks now cost of living is sky rocketing, fuel prices are all time high and now we have been visited with "110 Yansafuo". Did we go or did we come? Those who voices were heard when things were not going on well have all of a sudden become deaf and dumb. People who used their pulpits to disturb us to push away a government which was making life unbearable have now decided to change from being servants of God to become dieticians. Who will now talk for us if what we are hearing and seeing is going to continue is different forms and shapes? A collapsed and sick economy can conveniently take care of 110 ministers not in the second year of governance but rather in the very first year when we have been told that things don't look good. Ghanaians are being taken for fUlls. The politicians are living on our sweat. A group comes to condemn a sitting group and promises heaven and the mandate is given. After a number of years another one comes to paint same picture and also given opportunity to govern. As I said, I will not blame the politician. Rather, the so-called civil society, moral society, media and opinion leaders. They are the ultimate beneficiaries. They are not in the limelight. They hide and enjoy at our expense.
The NPP need more men to fix the economy. Nobody, except the NDC are speaking about the size of the government. The NDC should be mindful that it cannot think for Ghanaians. The NPP has the mandate of the people of Ghana to rule, and as the Senior Minister said, the President can even appoint an "OCTOPUS MINISTER". The NDC should sit at the touchline and watch. Size or no Size, the President believes over 100 Ministers are the correct people he needs PERIOD
NPP will never cease to amaze. A professor once said when you are looking for logic, don't go to UP and NPP. How can a shrink, depleted, bad, broke economy requires more managers than labourers. Can you think far, Mustapha Hamid, Mr. Plagirised President or this elephantile large Ministers too was plagiarized from America