Akufo-Addo Signals Majority Dictatorship

As Kyei Mensah Promises Hell For NDC Minority

President-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo, is already being accused of nursing the ambition to stampede the independence and authority of the August House of Parliament and that of yet to be sworn-in New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament (MP).

The incoming Majority members, with their numbers said to be hovering around 170 as against the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) 115, are expected by Nana Addo, to ensure that his nominated ministers, who will be vetted by the Appointment Committee, are given the nod using their number as an effective weapon.

Nana Addo, gave the signal at a meeting with the Private Enterprise Federation at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) to outline his government’s ‘strategy for the private sector’ on Wednesday in Accra.

Letting the cat out of the bag on who will be his minister for Trade and Industry, Nana Addo, announced the 61-year-old Alan John Kwadwo Kyeremanten and reposed confidence in him, but dictated to the Majority to use their numbers to approve him.

Already, incoming Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, has assume a combative and uncompromising posture in Parliament.

The Suame MP, was heard on Wednesday in Parliament during the consideration of the longstanding Right to Information (RTI) bill, disrespectfully swearing to outgoing Speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho, fire and brimstone in two weeks time, suggesting his side which is forming the Majority for the next four years, will not allow the NDC to stand in its way.

Mr Kyeremanten, who held that portfolio during the erstwhile John Kufuor administration, accompanied Nana Addo to the programme.

The president-elect was reported to have said, “I came here with Alan Kyeremanten, because he is the man who is going to be the Minister of Trade and Industry in the Akuf-Addo government.

I say going to be, because with all respect to the Parliament, the NPP majority in that body should guarantee that his name passes!!

I thought you should know this, and know that you are going to be dealing with a very competent and knowledgeable political figure of the first, whom I am confident, is going to oversee the rapid industrialization of our country”.

His comment has been described by some as a sign of indirect dictatorship as it is not in his place to say who should be approved by Parliament.

Some have argued that, Mr. Kyeremanten, who on a number of occasions contested the president-elect in NPP’s presidential primaries, is not known to have misconducted himself in any way, except his failure to ensure Mr. Kufuor’s wish to have a Presidential Special Initiative (PSI) which included the growing of cassava in large quantities for industry etc, but was not achieved.

So the question on the lips of many is that, why the attempt to stampede Parliament?
Already, an ally of the NPP, who doubles as the Managing-editor of the New Crusading Guide, has expressed concern over Nana Addo’s purported comment, saying it wasn’t a good sign.

Mr. Baako, who was reacting to the story during a discussion on Good morning Ghana on Metro TV yesterday, explained that in some cases, approval of vetted appointees are done on consensus and others not, so it was unnecessary for Nana Addo, to have gone to that extent to tell the Majority what to do considering their numbers.

“I hope he didn’t put it that way, let me put it that way I am being honest with you. It doesn’t matter, there are times it comes with consensus at times it doesn’t come with consensus.

I am hoping that the president-elect, also didn’t use that thing, sometimes it may not be a quote, but he might have used it. It is not a big deal as such, but am saying that, sometimes the kind of language you use if you are not careful, it gives wrong signals”, he said.

Meanwhile, Communication Director of the NPP, Nana Akomea, has sent signals he can’t serve as deputy minister after he has served under ex-president Kufuor as a Cabinet Minister.

Contributing to a discussion on Metro TV’s Good morning Ghana Wednesday, with Managing-editor of the Insight, Kwasi Pratt jnr., on who is to be appointed to which positions, the former Employment Minister said, he was above deputy minister position.

“I can’t be a deputy minister”, he said repeatedly to explain how Nana Addo’s hands are tight, because of the number of position left after he has appointed a good number of his ministers from Parliament per the Constitutional provision.

But he was quick to add that, there are a lot of competent hands in the NPP for the incoming president to pick from, so people should manage their expectations, so they are not disappointed.