Ministers in Shock!

It's beginning to emerge that last week's reshuffle was a bombshell to those affected, as well as those who went unscathed. The public, but especially the media, had been speculating, for some time now, that the president would sooner or later have to shift some of his ministers round, perhaps even sacking some of them outright. The conventional wisdom prevailing however was that he may just wait to celebrate his first anniversary in office on January 7, 2002 before taking the scalpel to his government appointees. That he embarked on his first reshuffle only ten months into his tenure shows the extent to which he must have been compelled to move so fast.

The straw that broke the camel's back was the proposed US$20,000 car loan for Members of Parliament.

Sources say he was extremely upset by how it was handled and so he decided to remove the "Mr. Nice Guy" garb for a while and show a little of what Kufour is made of.

The story has it that the day the reshuffle was announced, the cabinet meeting went on like any other, only that the chief executive had a sharp edge to his voice, as well as an uncharacteristic harshness. Unease amongst ministers started creeping in and they squirmed in their seats as he brought to bear on them the full force of the awesome authority the constitution allows him. He would not brook any waffle and made them know that the issue before them was an executive one and so the buck stopped at his executive desk. It wasn't exactly a stormy meeting, because the president was in full control, but a tense one. After the meeting, chastened and apprehensive ministers filed out, each with his or her own thoughts. If they suspected that something was afoot, the meeting they had just attended did not disclose how.

The boss himself, it would seem, had already made up his mind.

The story goes that later during the day, he dictated his decision and ordered that it be made public ASAP.

Rising star, Kwabena Agyepong was on hand to break the news through the electronic media and the state-owned Daily Graphic late at night. Most of the private papers had by then gone to bed. As soon as the news broke on Thursday night, telephones woke to life as media people, politicians, and the general public started making contact. The biggest political news of the ten-month old Kufuor administration had broken and it had to be shared. The editor of The Dispatch, Mr. Ben Ephson put in a call to the editor of The Accra Mail who was fast asleep and could not be pried out of bed! As the next day broke, it became the dominant news and still is.

The move has been widely welcomed with some people The Accra Mail spoke to saying it should have gone further with a number of dismissals instead of what the main opposition NDC later described as only "musical chairs". The President's own popularity has shot up. His decisiveness has impressed many people who expect more of such to help with his zero tolerance for corruption in the body politic.

On Friday morning, long-faced affected ministers and whispering unaffected ones went through the day knowing fully well that the president had served notice and the next move could be even more decisive. There are no sacred cows. Said a source, "they are all in shock".

The job of minister is a highly demanding one, but also quite rewarding in many respects. Apart from the privileges of office like free use of car, accommodation, diplomatic treatment, etc, there are perks like foreign travel with fairly lucrative per diems, legitimate gifts, and contacts that could be useful in life after service. The loss of ministerial status can therefore be cataclysmic to some.

The question is who will be next? In the next reshuffle, the president would have to pare down the number of his ministers and appointees around the executive branch for it is bloating. That's when there would be real weeping and gnashing of teeth!

It's beginning to emerge that last week's reshuffle was a bombshell to those affected, as well as those who went unscathed. The public, but especially the media, had been speculating, for some time now, that the president would sooner or later have to shift some of his ministers round, perhaps even sacking some of them outright. The conventional wisdom prevailing however was that he may just wait to celebrate his first anniversary in office on January 7, 2002 before taking the scalpel to his government appointees. That he embarked on his first reshuffle only ten months into his tenure shows the extent to which he must have been compelled to move so fast.

The straw that broke the camel's back was the proposed US$20,000 car loan for Members of Parliament.

Sources say he was extremely upset by how it was handled and so he decided to remove the "Mr. Nice Guy" garb for a while and show a little of what Kufour is made of.

The story has it that the day the reshuffle was announced, the cabinet meeting went on like any other, only that the chief executive had a sharp edge to his voice, as well as an uncharacteristic harshness. Unease amongst ministers started creeping in and they squirmed in their seats as he brought to bear on them the full force of the awesome authority the constitution allows him. He would not brook any waffle and made them know that the issue before them was an executive one and so the buck stopped at his executive desk. It wasn't exactly a stormy meeting, because the president was in full control, but a tense one. After the meeting, chastened and apprehensive ministers filed out, each with his or her own thoughts. If they suspected that something was afoot, the meeting they had just attended did not disclose how.

The boss himself, it would seem, had already made up his mind.

The story goes that later during the day, he dictated his decision and ordered that it be made public ASAP.

Rising star, Kwabena Agyepong was on hand to break the news through the electronic media and the state-owned Daily Graphic late at night. Most of the private papers had by then gone to bed. As soon as the news broke on Thursday night, telephones woke to life as media people, politicians, and the general public started making contact. The biggest political news of the ten-month old Kufuor administration had broken and it had to be shared. The editor of The Dispatch, Mr. Ben Ephson put in a call to the editor of The Accra Mail who was fast asleep and could not be pried out of bed! As the next day broke, it became the dominant news and still is.

The move has been widely welcomed with some people The Accra Mail spoke to saying it should have gone further with a number of dismissals instead of what the main opposition NDC later described as only "musical chairs". The President's own popularity has shot up. His decisiveness has impressed many people who expect more of such to help with his zero tolerance for corruption in the body politic.

On Friday morning, long-faced affected ministers and whispering unaffected ones went through the day knowing fully well that the president had served notice and the next move could be even more decisive. There are no sacred cows. Said a source, "they are all in shock".

The job of minister is a highly demanding one, but also quite rewarding in many respects. Apart from the privileges of office like free use of car, accommodation, diplomatic treatment, etc, there are perks like foreign travel with fairly lucrative per diems, legitimate gifts, and contacts that could be useful in life after service. The loss of ministerial status can therefore be cataclysmic to some.

The question is who will be next? In the next reshuffle, the president would have to pare down the number of his ministers and appointees around the executive branch for it is bloating. That's when there would be real weeping and gnashing of teeth!