Cabinet Shake–Up – Jake, Ocquaye Cited

As the clock ticks and the days draw nearer to the historic National Delegates Congress of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), slated for December this year, one fact that is inevitable is that close to ten ministers in President John Agyekum Kufuor’s government, who seem to be eyeing the presidency, would have their names struck out of the ministerial list.

Speculations are rife that the president would put together a new team, shedding off most of the present crop.

The Daily Guide newspaper is reliably informed that President Kufuor would forward the names of the new ministers to Parliament for a possible vetting before the House rises for recess in July.

Even though the looming cabinet reshuffle has already been speculated in the local media, international research reports stress it could come earlier than expected. Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), an affiliate of The Economist Magazine, says after in-depth research, prospects for the reshuffle have increased, and went ahead to zero down to a number of those whose heads are already on the chopping board. The respected magazine, which has provided credible corporate information to institutions in 125 countries worldwide for the past 60 years, says Prof Mike Oquaye, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey and others, may be on their way out.

Early indications suggest that Communications Minister, Mike Oquaye, and the Tourism and Diasporean Relations Minister, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey are likely to leave the government.The report, however, was silent on the fate of Nana Akuffo-Addo, Foreign Affairs Minister, Papa Owusu- Ankoma, Education, Science and Sports Minister, Alan Kyeremanten, Trade and Industry Minister, Dr. Addo Kufuor, Defence Minister and Owusu Adjapong, Parliamentary Affairs Minister.

However, the reshuffle, it further noted, is likely to be the source of further problems for the President if it is carried out in that manner, not only due to the shock such a large administrative turnover would give the cabinet, but also because many believe that nearly all of the ten have flouted his earlier caution to concentrate on their jobs. Others are however suspected to be preparing to honourably tender in their resignation before the sledge hammer lands in the next couple of days.

And one sure way of preventing such a tricky scenario, the research indicated, is for the party to, clandestinely though, trim down the number of ‘ministerial presidential aspirants’, as statements by the President and the former Senior Minister, J.H. Mensah last year in Koforidua were meant to reduce the glaring influx. In light of the potential chaos caused by as many as ten members of the cabinet being forced to resign or reshuffled to campaign, the NPP has been looking out to reduce the number of candidates standing in the leadership race.

This was apparent at the 2006 party congress held in Koforidua, when party grandee Joseph Henry Mensah and Mr Kufuor defined the type of candidate the party should be electing in what became known as the “Koforidua Declaration”.Also mentioned is the possibility of using other mechanisms, including increasing filing fees, as means of trimming down the number of candidates.It is recalled that at the Koforidua congress last year, Hon. J.H. Mensah openly fumed at the number of party people struggling to be president and teased with his famous ‘checki woho statement’. The Sunyani East MP insinuated that the presidency was not a beauty contest that largely required mere physique.

Not long after, a member of the Council of Elders of the party, Appiah Menkah, reportedly suggested that the filing fee be adjusted upwards from ¢100m (approx. $11,000) to ¢500m (approx. $55,000). And as if to agree with Mensah and Menkah, on the need to cut down the numbers, the president, at various forums, mentioned age, experience and contribution to the party as some of the qualities delegates should look out for in picking his successor.Apart from abilities and capabilities, elements of ethnicity, religion and age would feature prominently in the selection of the flagbearer. The nomination of a new leader has caused internal ructions within the ruling party, more so with the number of cabinet ministers openly vying to succeed Mr. Kufuor.

This has put a lot of pressure on the president to make good his promise to sack any minister who leaves his job and goes campaigning. This is largely because the NPP’s internal constitution stipulates that "any Minister, National Officer, and District Chief Executive who files to contest to become a Presidential Candidate of the Party must resign from his or her position."