The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has called on President John Mahama to reconsider his pledge to limit the number of ministers to 60, suggesting that such a cap could compromise effective governance.
During the debate on the approval of ministerial nominees on Thursday, January 23, Mr Afenyo-Markin expressed his concerns about the practicality of managing government operations with such a limited number of appointees. He stated, “When we make mistakes, let’s admit them and apologise. 60 ministers will not help your political cause.”
He further elaborated, “…I am not the president, but if I were to advise Mr President, I would say, Mr President, you can apologise to Ghanaians and say, look, you underestimated the thing. I think I need to engage more ministers.”
Afenyo-Markin highlighted the complexities involved in running combined ministries, like the Local Government and Chieftaincy Ministry, which he described as needing intensive oversight and conflict resolution. He cautioned that with fewer ministers, there could be an increased workload leading to inefficiencies and potential corruption, stating, “People forget that when you merge two ministries, the staffers remain the same. All the civil servants who are there stay. One minister supervising everything will soon lead to things getting out of hand, and then corruption accusations will follow.”
He urged President Mahama to adopt a pragmatic approach, acknowledging that sometimes campaign promises must yield to the realities of governance. “Let’s boldly explain the intricacies of politics to the public instead of falling into the trap of unrealistic political commitments,” Afenyo-Markin added.
This call for reevaluation comes in the wake of President Mahama’s recent statements during the swearing-in ceremony of six ministers on Wednesday, January 22, at the Jubilee House.
President Mahama reiterated his commitment to a lean administration, explaining his strategy to avoid appointing deputy ministers for some ministries to keep the total number of ministers at 60.
He said, “As the ministers are approved by Parliament, and as they are sworn in, I’ll proceed to name deputy ministers for some of the ministries, which will bring the total of the ministers to 60, as I promised the people of Ghana, to make this government, Ghana’s leanest, and I believe the most efficient government ever in history.”
Source: Graphiconline