Former Deputy Minister of Education in charge of tertiary, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said he would be disappointed when in future the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government engages hundred and ten Ministers and their Deputies and thousand Presidential staffers.
According to the former Deputy Minister, the issue should not be partisan but rather as a country we should be looking at the national interest first and moving this nation forward.
“I do hope we would depart from that and get to a dispensation that we would put the national interest above the partisan consideration, and jobs for the boys”.
He further pointed out, in an interview that some of the staffers spend the whole day on social media, and question if one is surprised when there are so many staffers but there is nothing to be done.
Again civil society complain that a lot of the staffers are constantly attacking them, on social media and take on people who do not agree with policies of the government of the day.
“Elsewhere, if you hear of White House or Number Ten (10) Downing Street staffers, they do serious work such that they do not have time to go on social media”, he lamented.
The President, per the Presidential Act has up to the end of March this year to present a report to Parliament of 2018, with the huge numbers everybody believes somebody would do it and nobody does it.
“Look at what is happening in the national security space, you have had the biggest set up and yet see the result, you have a national security Minister and a Minister of state there, Interior and Defense their Deputies, national security coordinator and all of that but there is confusion and no clear structure”.
The North Tongu lawmaker further revealed that he hopes the President would listen and office of the government machinery would be slashed.
But he was quick to point out that, looking at the budgetary allocation there is possibility of staffers increasing in 2018, despite the 2017 figure of nine hundred and ninety-eight (998) the public outcry that broke the heart of many Ghanaians.
Also the Minority would continue to raise concerns, “if you can achieve result with few ten people why use fifty people to achieve same result?”
“All at the expense of the tax payer, is that a good use of money in a poor country, where these resources can go into providing, shelter, water and electricity”
And gave an example of b the Hungarian ambassador, who tells him they have only eleven (11) Ministers and Deputies, when they hear some of our debate and the justification we give for the numbers and the reasons, they give, they find it interesting.
“Look at their advancement, I have not heard they are not progressing not being able to provide health education, we have hundred and more and yet we go and berg them for assistance. I wonder how they see us, we who do have to approach them always cup in hand for assistant; put yourself in their shoes, how would you feel?”.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com
