Of recycling political public office holders
By Doris Yaa Dartey. The WatchWoman Column
If you track the appearance of “returnees” in appointments to public positions, you may come to the conclusion that there is a shortage of competent professionals in the public political arena. When the NDC wins, some of their key movers-and-shakers quickly move into their previous positions. As if by design, the NPP folks do exactly the same. By that, the two dominant political parties hold our country to ransom and recycle persons who might be the owners of the parties.
This situation underlines both the perception and reality that our four-year election cycle is nothing but an opportunity for the winners, who take all, to grab and squander the spoils of war. This makes Ghana a mere chess board at which the players make moves to win!
SCENARIOS FOR THE RETURNEE APPOINTEE
Why are public government office holders re-appointed to their previous positions when their political party wins elections? A good reason may be: because they already know the organization or ministry so they can easily “hit the ground running” from the very first day. One may argue that appointing a new person into a position will present a sharp learning curve. Political parties do not have time to waste for an appointee to learn before performing to meet the party’s campaign promises. So the easier option seems to be in bringing back the old, tried and tested appointees from yesteryears.
But the flip side of a good thing could be bad—very bad. A recycled official into a public office position could potentially present dangers to the position in particular and to the country as a whole. A “returnee” appointee, who is up to no good, could easily go on what can be likened to a shopping spree of a free-range to assault the resources of the organization and of the country. As it is said, familiarity breeds contempt!
During the “second coming” into a position, a returnee will already know all the loopholes, tricks and ropes. A re-appointment could therefore be tantamount to getting an opportunity to finish all unfinished businesses. A returnee appointee, who seeks to amount illicit wealth, could quickly exploit the situation and enrich him/herself.
Also, the appointee will know staff who have survived across political administrations. The deeply-seated loyalists will have a honeymoon whilst the others (who may be perceived as belonging to the opposition party) will weep and gnash their teeth. In effect, the so-called direct and relevant experience that informed the decision to re-appoint a person could potentially not serve Ghana well.
THE WHO-IS-WHO OF RETURNEE APPOINTEES
There are countless examples of public officials who had taken back their positions when their party won elections. AB Adjei was appointed by former President Kufuor as the first head of the embryonic National Procurement Authority in 2003 by Act 663. When the Mills/Mahama administration took over, he was promptly dropped and replaced with an NDC faithful. Then when Akufo Addo won the December 2016 elections, Adjei walked right back to grab his previous position in 2017. It was as if being the CEO of the PPA was his birth-right! Was his tenure as the first PPA head ever scrutinized? Not likely!
I vividly recall the case of Kofi Kportufi, who was forever the head of NADMO—the national disaster management organization—from the PNDC days, and rolled over into the NDC era. When President Kufuor replaced Rawlings in 2000, Kportufi was replaced. Then as soon as the results of the December 2008 elections were announced, it is alleged that he promptly moved in to take over his previous position (probably, without an appointment letter). Clearly, for several years, NADMO was like the property of Kportufi. Was his long tenure ever investigated for Ghana to learn any lessons? Not likely!
As recently as two weeks ago, a scandal erupted over a certain Emmanuel Sin-nyet Asigri, the CEO of the National Youth Authority (NYA). As if the word “sin” in his middle name (Sin-nyet) offers a clue, he today, stands accused of sinning against Ghana. This same person was a District Chief Executive during the Kufuor administration.
What assessment of his integrity was conducted before his elevation to this higher position of being responsible for the employment matters of the youth of Ghana? What corruption track record did he establish from his powerful DCE days? What tricks did he learn and perfect? If his DCE tenure is forensically audited, what would we find? A can of worms?
The audacity with which Asigri is alleged to have acted at the NYA suggests that he may be experienced at this game; and he sure knows the tricks. As the stories of his infractions unravel, it becomes clear that he is very courageous in taking risks that benefit him but harm the common good. He must have believed that nothing will ever happen to him; and that he can get away with any infractions no matter the extent of outrageousness.
Mr Alan Kyerematen was the Minister of Trade, and also of Presidential Special Initiatives (PSI) during the Kufuor presidency. Under Akufo Addo, he grabbed his old position at the helm of the Trade Ministry. Albert Kan Dapaah was the Minister of Interior under Kufuor. Today, he is in a related capacity as Minister of National Security. Shirley Ayorkor Botwe was the deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, with Nana Akuffo Addo as her boss. As Nana rose several notches higher to occupy the seat of the presidency, Madam Botwe became the substantive minister of foreign affairs.
THE RECYCLING MUST END
Over time, public positions that have been politicized have become like part of the grand spoils of war in our political culture. If you have held a certain position before, you automatically earn a right to it when your party returns to power. As the 2020 election campaign season heats up, you can be sure that some individuals who occupied positions during the Rawlings and Mills/Mahama eras are dusting their boots and ironing their clothes (supported with fervent prayers) in readiness to re-occupy their previous positions.
Meanwhile, the Public Services Commission, which has a mandate to hire qualified officials into public positions, has been rendered toothless, redundant and irrelevant. The political parties have usurped the role of the PSC. It is time for governments to stop recycling political public office holders. Fresh people should be identified and appointed. It is time to phase out the old names and bring in fresh ideas. Ghana needs regular gasps of fresh air.
But more especially, it is time to allow the PSC to perform its constitutional role of searching for and appointing qualified and non-partisan persons to manage public institutions. The only spots the parties can keep are the ministerial appointments. Politicians should stay away from our public institutions.
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