In keeping to the huge size of its political symbol, the elephant, Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu says President Nana Akufo-Addo has appointed an elephant-sized government that will invariably feed on the limited public finance.
According to the Tamale South Member of Parliament, the decision by the president to appoint an army of ministers is shamefull.
Barring any addition, the number of ministers and deputies appointed by the president now stands at 110.
On Wednesday, the president announced a list of 50 deputy ministers and four Ministers of state at the presidency which finally brought the entire ministerial appointees to 110.
Ministries of Agriculture, Local Government, Finance, Information have three deputy ministers, an appointment hailed and defended by government spokespersons and condemned vehemently by opposition elements.
Information Minister Mustapha Hamid, in rationalizing the size of government said the huge size of the problem the government inherited and the ambitious plans it has, require that an army of ministers be appointed to steer the cause of government and to fulfill the promises made during the election.
But the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu is not convinced. He told Joy News Editor Dzifa Bampoh the NPP cannot mount any sustainable defence for the unprecedented number of ministers appointed.
“Many of these same ministries run effectively with lean appointees in the past,” he said, suggesting that to appoint as many as three deputies to some ministries come with a humongous cost to the state.
“I am not sure this is what Akufo-Addo promised Ghanaians,” he said, insisting that the need for a lean government has always been an issue during elections.
“I believe we should have a limit to the number of ministers and number of supreme court judges appointed,” he said, an argument he has consistently made during discussions even at the CDD.
He does not understand why a minister of state for procurement will be appointed when indeed the procurement law spells out in details how agencies of state can procure goods and services.
Per the new appointees announced, Adwoa Safo will be the Minister of State at the presidency in charge of Procurement if she is approved by Parliament.
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