Editorial: Mills, crack the whip.

It is refreshing to note that the new government has started showing signs of making good their promise of governing in an honest, transparent and responsible manner.

The statement from the Presidency, withdrawing the appointment of Honourable Moses Asaga, Member of Parliament for Nabdam Constituency for the position of Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing could not be more appropriate.

This action according to sources in government was because the Nabdam MP who is part of the three-member committee charged by President Mills to oversee activities of the Ministry of Finance approved of payment of the controversial ex-gratia wards to members of the former government and his colleague ex-parliamentarians.

According to media reports US$ 20 million has already been disbursed from the consolidated funds as a result of this blunder by the MP.

The fact that Hon. Asaga did not consult other members of the committee before appending his signature for such huge payment when he was neither the Chairman of the Finance Committee nor the Minister for Finance.

As if to add insult to injury, the Hon. Asaga was heard on radio and TV asking when it became mandatory for ministers to seek clarification from presidents before signing cheques.

In the first place, who told Mr. Asaga he was a minister? He must tell Ghanaians which parliament vetted and approved of his nomination as minister for finance and when he was sworn in as minister.

Instead of apologizing for his blunder the erring MP was rather vociferous in basking in his party credentials as if to suggest that party faithfuls should not be punished when they err.

It is however refreshing to note the swift action taken by the president in response to this amateurish action by the reputed economic and finance expert.

This is an early test case for the President to deal with and many well meaning Ghanaians including the Financial Intelligence Newspaper believes that the President has began a good job and he must finish it by applying the rules strictly to deter other appointees either for ministerial appointments or other positions of trust, acting on behalf of the President to be circumspect in their actions.

This is the time the president needs to “crack the whip” as he used to tell the former president during the last campaign.

We also support suggestions that Hon. Asaga has engaged in an act that clearly represents a case of conflict of interest situation, since the act was meant to financially benefit the executor. (He was one of the MPs in the last parliament who are also beneficiaries of the payments).

The agitation by the majority in Parliament for a pardon for their colleague will be seen by the public and other well-meaning Ghanaians as a continuous collusion by Parliamentarians and the Executives to milk the coffers of the state with impunity.

A pardon from the President for Hon. Asaga will be a sign of weakness on the part of His Excellency, John Evans Fiffi Atta Millls.

He must live up to his own promise not to close his eyes to wrong doing in his government.

Prof. Crack the whip!