Kufour Blindsides Mills

By Ekua Kwansema

For the past eight years workers in the public sector agitated for better remuneration from the past Kufour administration without getting a lot of attention. In fact, some workers in other sectors like the railways and the health services even have to go for months without being paid. This was at the time that we kept hearing that everything was good in Ghana , and that the NPP has done more than enough to deserve another four more years in power.

But Ghanaians woke up on the handing-over ceremony day, to be precise the past Wednesday to hear that in the wee hours before the expiration of his presidency, Kufour signed-off on major salary increases of between 16 to 32 percent for public sector workers.

Before I proceed with my thoughts, I would like readers to get this straight. I have tons of relatives and friends working in the public sector. Apart from that I believe that workers in Ghana deserve better remuneration for their work, therefore, it would be unhealthy for me to kick against pay increases for public sector workers. But if Kufour had done this two months before the elections he would have become my hero.

Now the question is why did Kufour rush and unload the new administration with this last minute pay increases, something he failed to do while he was in power? I know the NPP sympathizers would jump on me and portray me as anti-sympathizer to suffering workers. But if you look critically at the issue at stake you would come to the conclusion that this is a last-minute political calculation to pitch public sector workers against the new administration.

By this Kufour¢s action, what it means is that if President Mills is unable to honour the pay increases, he would find himself at loggerheads with workers of the public sector. And this is coming at a time that the World Bank has painted a gloomy picture on Ghana ¢s economy for 2009.

Was this action by Kufour therefore, meant to make Mills unpopular with Ghanaian workers? Why did Kufour fail to give the workers that pay raises during his reign when at that time he kept trumpeting over and over again that Ghana¢s economy was by far the best the country has ever experienced?

Whatever Kufour¢s motive was only he and God knows. But I can say with all certainty that if the motive was to blindside President Mills when he has not found his feet, it would fail. I expect President Mills to review the whole pay increases, be upfront with Ghanaians and tell us what he feels about it. If another party has unloaded this burden on the NPP we would have seen people all over roof tops shouting their hearts out.

I would at this time urge Ghanaians to give President Mills just a little time to sort himself out before he hits the ground running. As I write this article Kufour¢s transition team is yet to finalize its handing-over to the Mills administration. I hope you did not read anywhere an interview former chief of Staff, Kojo Mpianim granted to journalists in which he stated that the Kufour administration was ready to hand over as soon as a winner is declared in the elections. But Mpianim said is very different from what is happening now. I wish my fellow Ghanaians to know that even though the NDC is in charge now, the NPP has not yet finalized the handing over notes.

I stated weeks before the December 28 election that this year would be a very difficult year, therefore, all leaders who are coming to power during this period would face some bumps until the bumpy global economic situation subside.

Even though Kufour has blinded President Mills with this heavy load of last minute pay increases, I would advice the new administration to meet with the public sector workers and explain in detail what they feel if they find that they would not be able to immediately honour that obligation. Making the workers aware about the current health of the economy, what they feel about the pay increases would avoid any unnecessary strike actions that could make President Mills unpopular.

I also expect Dr. Tony Aidoo to tone down on his shouts at news interviews, but rather help the Mills administration in explaining the best scenario to the public sector workers. This would make the Mills government much more credible in the eyes of the pubic sector and Ghanaians in general. The Mills administration does not have enough time especially when people have celebrated Christmas and New Year and have little money left in their pockets. The new administration, therefore, has to move with speed. God Bless.

ekwansema@yahoo.com