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| Plans To Reshuffle Cabinet? |
9/26/2005 |
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Plans To Reshuffle Cabinet?
President Kufuor is planning to reshuffle his Cabinet, with some of his very active aspiring successors being targeted as potential casualties. And, the news is, he desires it done before the National Congress of the New Patriotic Party in November.
Now, it is mainly a question of would he or would he not gather the pluck and spunk to effect the changes?
Aides close to the President attest to his concern about the divided attention and work rate of some of his major appointees. He is said to have been particularly scathing about what he sees as the objectionable and selfish actions of some aspiring presidential candidates who have chosen to ‘peak before time."
Any downwardly vertical or even parallel ministerial changes for some of the aspiring candidates may be seen as "a put-down." But their boss is expected to act even more radically than that.
A close source said the president is being pushed by their own reckless behaviour" to simply push them "out of harm''s way". This means sacking a small but significant number of his Cabinet.
The President, according to another senior NPP source, says his intention to reshuffle his frontbench is primarily about his concern to "maintain the forward momentum of his government." This calls for undivided attention to one''s portfolio.
The President had warned his men against premature peaking. Yet, to peak now is considered ideal; hence the decision to ignore the Presidential caution. The overriding wisdom seems to be: Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but, rather, make it hot by striking.
Almost resigned to the situation, President Kufuor is said to be busily contemplating offering those ministers an opportunity for an early show ever. This, after all, may serve as a win-win instrument to fix their attention and to better inflame their presidential ambition. But there is a serious hitch. Who are you going to kick out? Some of the usual suspects are too personally close to the President for comfort, so to speak. Moreover, almost all of those actively on the ground are in charge of powerful portfolios. Arguably, that may be the more reason why they should be kicked out since winning is delivering and the President can ill-afford to have those portfolios manned with divided attention.
Apart from Hawa Yakubu, all of the serious potential contenders as NPP presidential candidates are members of Cabinet. The total list can be as long as nine, however only half of this number is very actively on the ground. Those included in the potential list of contenders are Alhaji Aliu Mahama, Kwame Addo-Kufuor, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Kofi Konadu Apraku, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Dan Botwe, Papa Owusu-Ankomah and Mike Oquaye.
The castle talk is that President Kufuor wants to ruthlessly stamp his authority on the Cabinet. Ironically, the joke goes, with several of his Cabinet heavyweights nursing ambitions of presidential grandeur, Cabinet risks becoming worrying yes-man like, as members may choose to hold their wise counsel for fear of offending the President and hence their own presidential enterprise.
Source: Statesman
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