This half-hearted reshuffling is not the answer

By Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Folks, while we wait to know the circumstances surrounding Ghana's participation in the ongoing World Cup tournament and the dismal performance of the national team (the Black Stars) this time around, many things have begun happening in government circles.

Without even waiting for the dust to settle on his own feeling that an investigation needs to be conducted into the matter, President Mahama has swiftly removed the political heads from the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Elvis Affriyie Ankrah has been sent into the "cooler" at the Presidency and may not even have a desk to sit at. A mere "job-for-the-boys" initiative.

Joseph Yammin, his deputy at that Ministry, has been sent to the Ashanti Region as the Deputy Regional Minister. Of course, he had been resident in Kumasi before being brought to Accra to serve under Affriyie Ankrah. As if fearful of the repercussions of his unguarded utterances regarding the "carting" of supporters to cheer up the Black Stars in Brazil, he is reported to be thanking God for influencing President Mahama in retaining him as a government functionary. Such characters aren't fit to be in government, though. They are so full of narrow, partisan political instincts as not to know that Ghana is above those instincts and should be served as such. A party boy merely being rewarded?

Of all, the recycling of Mahama Ayariga in this scenario of “musical chairs” makes me laugh a lot. He has now been moved from the Ministry of Information and Media Relations to replace Affriyie Ankrah. This is the umpteenth time that Ayariga is being nudged along. When I consider his pathetic performance at the Ministry of Information and Media Relations, I cringe to know that he is now at the Ministry of Youth and Sports (with all its endemic problems of corruption, mismanagement, and what-have-you).

Other appointments have been made, according to the news report (See:http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2014/June-28th/mahama-ayariga-is-minister-for-youth-and-sports-joseph-yammin-reassigned.php)

Truth be told, this kind of cosmetic measures will not inject life and dynamism into President Mahama's administration. All these people being recycled for new positions are already known as non-performing or performing below par wherever they have been. So, why not just get rid of them and bring in better-equipped people to move the administration forward?

Clearly, there is a lot wrong with how President Mahama is reshuffling his team. After all, though, I don't regard what he is doing as any reshuffling for as long as no new blood is injected into the team. He is just retaining the old wine bottle and filling it with the kind of wine that is neither new nor old (a mix-mix kind of wine!!). Will that make any difference? I wonder; I really wonder!!

I shall return…

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