If I were Kufuor?s strategist (I)

THE story is told of Karl Rove, the man who masterminded the transformation of George Bush Jnr from a boozing brat to the most powerful man in the world, with the highest ever majority in any American presidential election.

In 1970, a cherubic, bespectacled teenager turned up at the Chicago campaign headquarters of Alan Dixon, a Democrat running for state treasurer in Illinois, so the story goes. No one paid the newcomer much attention when he arrived, or when he left soon afterwards. Nor did anyone in the office make the connection between the mystery volunteer and 1,000 invitations on campaign stationery that began circulating in Chicago?s red-light district and soup kitchens, promising ?free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing? for all-comers at Dixon?s headquarters. Hundreds of the city?s heavy drinkers and homeless turned up at a smart Dixon reception looking for free booze. Dixon was embarrassed but the plot failed to stop his momentum: he was elected state treasurer and went on to become a senator. But the teenager who stole his letterheads, Karl Rove, has gone even further. Some simply call him ?Bush?s Brain?. But his official title is Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Political Adviser to President Bush.

Senator John Kerry is leading the campaign for Rove, now aged 54, to be ousted as President Bush?s ?political adviser? and thrown out of the White House. Kerry has his reasons that go beyond the allegation that Rove leaked the identity of a CIA spy, Valerie Plame (whose husband embarrassed the White House) to the press. Rove oversaw George Bush?s $350m re-election strategy. This nerdy political brawler with only a secondary school education is now the man the president likes to call his ?boy genius.? For good reason too. Rove orchestrated Bush?s rise from, what one analyst called, ?a feckless, hard-drinking politician?s brat? to Texas governor to president in barely a decade. President Kufuor clearly has not been blessed with such a political svengali ? who can ?hypnotise? the public with Government programmes and messages. What Rove superintends over is a highly disciplined, competent and efficient administration at the White House. There is a perfect precedent that a president who surrounds himself with good advisers can help his party swim closer to the shores of everlasting power. Over a century ago, William McKinley, another Republican with brilliant advisers, narrowly defeated a populist Democrat (William Jennings Bryan) in 1896 and established a Republican hegemony that lasted more than three decades.

The Republicans now control the presidency, the senate, and the House of Representatives. Rove?s task now is to consolidate that dominance of the White House and Capitol Hill and then use it to recast Washington?s third source of power, the Supreme Court, from its current cautious conservatism to a more red-blooded Republicanism. He began to achieve that task by winning last November elections for the Republicans.

Back home, it is pretty clear that President Kufuor could do with even a half-Rove. The President is in dire need of a political strategist, whose job is not to make friends or tell the old boy what he wants to but to get the job done. This is not the period to fall into a ?business as usual? mode; it is time for business. Since it is easier said from the sidelines than done, Qanawu will, in a series of articles, just hazard a few tips on what he would do as a strategist. But, even in the last few days a few major opportunities have gone amiss.

What stopped Dan Botwe, Harona Esseku and Kwadwo Mpiani from organising about 10,000 Ghanaians to give President Kufuor a triumphant welcome as he arrived from Libya-UK-Jamaica recently? GTV cameras should have carried the landing of the BA flight live (as CNN did to Bush returning from Gleneagles); the Foreign Minister?s unusually long press briefing should have been carried live. By mid-week, President Kufuor should have organised a major press briefing on what the G8 proposals mean and how Government intends to utilise the leeway provided to deliver on its promises to the people.

Basically, the big news is that the NDC borrowed a lot of money to undertake their development projects for the country and the NPP under Kufuor has seen to virtually a 100 percent cancellation of the external debt that Rawlings left behind. But, as one investment banker remarked in London recently, ruling parties are not remembered for being prudent but for monumental outlays.

Osafo-Maafo says he is implementing FCUBE, after 12 years of its promise in the Constitution, yet it seems to be mentioned only in passing! Do Dan Botwe and co honestly think that what Ghanaians really want to hear are recycled news on ?Hotel Kufuor? and what the Wahalians are doing?

With an astute strategist at work, by Thursday evening all media houses would have been told that on Friday the President would hand 565 vehicles to the Ministry of Health for distribution to health professionals. In fact, that handing over would not even have taken place on a Friday, when there would be no newspaper reviews the following day!

For Odododiodio, the winning formula has been ably articulated in the editorial, so Qanawu would rest on that.

But, there are few major decisions that Qanawu would have advised the President to do. The first is to shuffle his personnel cards. Kwadwo Mpiani would have been the first to go. As astute a politician as he is with an economist?s brain, he would remain a Cabinet Minister, but far removed from the Castle. What are required this term is not loyalty alone but loyalty and competence. Almost every observer close to the Castle says the place is run like an Odikro?s mud palace. Could they all be wrong? There are several ministerial portfolios that the Chief of Staff can fit in well. If not, dispatch him to Beijing or Washington. And let who can deliver take charge. There is no discernible policy direction from the top. The top is weak and every Minister appears to be doing his or her own thing.

The Ministry of Information would be killed off. Its job subsumed by the Ministry of Communications. It serves as a drain on the public purse, when in fact the information out there is dominated by opposition-engineered propaganda. The districts are staffed with third-rate pensionable information officers who are paid poorly and perform poorly. A whole new radical thinking of that Ministry?s role is called for.

In its place, the Castle Press outfit would be strengthened. Time to centralise the dissemination of information to have a slimline message. A Communications Director would be appointed, have a hi-tech office, a first class staff and a very heavy budget. She should command the respect and authority of every government appointee and, most importantly, that of the President. All the PR officers at the various Ministries would be appointed by her and ultimately responsible to her. She will attend all Cabinet Meetings and be part of the President?s kitchen cabinet. There would be daily press briefings from the Castle. That should be the main channel of news from the Executive. Sack all PROs of MDAs. Recruit new ones as political appointees loyal to Government not to the Civil Service. Offer them same conditions as Ministers? Special Assistants.

Ministers would be banned from giving unscheduled live radio interviews in the morning. It demeans the Executive. The period of crass challenges to the Executive from oxymoronic commentators or newspaper editors - whose only claim to being on Peace FM and Adom FM is for having access to a PC and a generous printer, who welcomes bad debts - must be over. Time to bring dignity back. There are simply too many radio stations going for Ministers who foolishly fall for the ratings chasing game by granting interviews to every Adakabre with a mic. If there is a serious issue requiring a ministerial word, organise a press conference! Or let the radio station book in advance with the prepared questions.

Dan Botwe would be pushed to Local Government. He may be smart and a strategist but he is simply not cut out for public relations.

In terms of social and economic policy, the Government would narrow its focus. Put together a crack team to come out with various avenues for raising at least an extra $3bn a year for Government projects until 2009. Build a strong economics intelligence team to up our hand in negotiations with WTO, World Bank, IMF, etc. Task every district to come out with its five-year economic plan before the next budget. Undertake a major housing project nationwide, with support from private sector. People need shelter!

Start implementing easily implementable aspects of the Peer Review report before the peer review proper in September.

Create an atmosphere of law and order. Let the nation feel that you are in control. And please keep reminding them that you are indeed in control. By the way, some people wonder why Qanawu says the things he says. Just remind them of the import of his name.