NPP government ministers becoming arrogant

The seven month old New Patriotic Party government has come under intense criticism by a section of the Ghanaians over alleged arrogant posturing of some Ministers and appointees of President Akufo-Addo.

While government is struggling to maintain the goodwill it enjoyed from Ghanaians who are fast running out of patience for the Akufo-Addo administration’s inability to meet their expectations, the NPP government’s plight is being worsened by day as a result of the demeaning attitude of some functionaries.

Many Ghanaians have been complaining about how some government officials who were sober and shared in the sentiments of people have all of a sudden become pompous, snobbish and condescending only seven month in power.

What opened the floodgates and set the stage for Ghanaians to attack President Akufo-Addo for doing little to rein-in his arrogant appointees was, a provocative statement made by a deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Robert Ahomka Lindsey, at a Diaspora Homecoming Summit at the Accra International Conference Centre last week.

The deputy Minister described Ghanaians living in the Diaspora who had travelled into the country at the behest of government to tap into its proposed one district, one factory policy, as “whiners”

“Nobody likes whiners, people that spend all the time whining all the time really get on people’s nerves so stop whining,” Mr Ahomka Lindsey told the Diasporeans.

The Diasporeans and some Ghanaians have however not taken the deputy Minister’s diatribe lightly and have since been berating him and other appointees who have of late become conceited.

One of the participants at the summit, Kofi Amankwah Koranteng, set social media on fire with a fiery response to Mr Ahomka Lindsey; “who travels 3,000 miles to be a whiner,” he retorted.

The deputy Minister and the NPP were forced to apologize after Ghanaians descended heavily on Mr Ahomka Lindsey and other appointees for their arrogant posturing in recent times.

Some leading members of the NPP including National Youth Organizer, Sammy Awuku, have also chided the Mr Ahomka Lindsey for his conduct and warned that arrogant posturing by government appointees shall not be condoned.

Expressing disappointment, Sammy Awuku warned that Mr. Ahomka Lindsay's attitude at the conference could chip away the goodwill towards the government and lead to disenchantment among the voting public.

Mr Awuku said Ahomka Lindsay's complaint about his incessantly buzzing phone since his appointment does not mirror the conduct of President Akufo-Addo who works himself off in his service to the public.

The NPP National Youth Organizer said he was raising "early warning signs" to appointees in the seven-month old government not to go the way of the deputy minister.

Ashanti regional Chairman of NPP, Bernard Antwi Bosiako aka Wontumi; National Vice Chairman, F F Antoh and other bigwigs of the governing party, have all cautioned appointees of the Akufo-Addo government not to display arrogance.

However, happenings in government so far show that appointees of the Akufo-Addo government are far from living by the wise counsel of Chairman Wontumi and others.

Last month, Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto was heard on an audio tape “firing” a journalist for having questioned his competence at post following a statement made by Hilda Addo, former MP for Kwadaso.

The minister chided the journalist, describing the statement as “disrespectful and offensive”. “That’s very disrespectful… the word incompetence, and I don’t want you to use that word on me. If she’s crazy to use those words I don’t want you to repeat it on me, you know that is very offensive, the minister was heard retorting.

“I don’t want you to talk to me in these times… Do you know who I am, do you know what I have created in this life of mine for a journalist like you to tell me that I am incompetent. If you’re repeating somebody’s words it’s your words as well. You shouldn’t be that insubordinate, he added.

Member of Parliament for Obuasi West and Deputy Minister of Finance, Kwaku Kwarteng recently banged the phone on a broadcast journalist with Citi FM on a live program and warned the journalist never to call him on his show again.

The Deputy Minister got incensed when Umaru Sanda Amadu, the host of the station’s “Eye Witness News”, exposed some contradictions in his (Kwarteng) responses to the widely publicized $19 billion China loan.

Many have observed that the arrogance posturing of President Akufo-Addo’s appointees could hamper the party’s chances of securing a second term in the 2020 elections.