DON'T STAMPEDE PROF MILLS (JAN 12)

The Constitution confers certain prerogatives on the President and one of such remits is the appointment of a Cabinet.
Article 76 (Clause 1) of the Constitution says “There shall be a Cabinet which shall consist of the President, the Vice-president and not less than ten and not more than nineteen ministers of state” and (Clause 2) says that “The Cabinet shall assist the President in the determination of general policy of the Government”.
And as is to be expected, Ghanaians have been looking forward to the list of ministers from our President since his inauguration last week Wednesday. Perhaps, the anxiety among a section of the public to know the list of ministers is understandable because they expect the new government to “hit the ground running” to address their concerns.
Also, some commentators expect the government to expedite action on the appointment of new ministers to facilitate the running of government business and end the furore that greeted the appointment of five persons to oversee certain key ministries.
The constitutional interpretation given to the move by the government tends to misinform the public about the well-thought-out action of the new NDC administration. The appointments may just be intended to fill the void created by the change of government, particularly in those key ministries.
It is against this background that the Daily Graphic welcomes the assurance by President J.E.A. Mills that his Cabinet will be ready by the end of the month to ensure effective running of government business.
The President’s explanation that the delay in naming his Cabinet is to ensure that decisions are taken in a careful manner also gladdens the hearts of Ghanaians.
The Daily Graphic, therefore, adds its voice to the appeal by the President to the critics to give him time to sort out his team that will deliver on its mandate.
Selecting a team of a few scores to fill Cabinet positions and other public offices out of a population of 22 million can be a Herculean task because Ghana has a rich human resource base. The selection process requires painstaking background checks to ensure that the exercise produces the best for the realisation of the agenda of the NDC to “create jobs, invest in people, expand the infrastructure base and run an open and honest administration”.
We are convinced that when President Mills said in his inaugural address that he intended to pursue a consensus-driven agenda and for which reason his administration would give recognition to compatriots from other political parties, the President is ever ready to appoint competent and dedicated persons to high offices of the land, regardless of their political persuasions.
The Daily Graphic appeals to Ghanaians from all walks of life to desist from stampeding President Mills into appointing anybody at all into his Cabinet instead of “men and women of integrity” who can promote equality, equity and fairness in society.
The appointment of ministers offers the biggest test to the new administration to demonstrate its preparedness to tap into the quality human resource base of the country provided they are ready to serve the people rather than lord it over them.
The Daily Graphic believes that in this national assignment, Prof. Mills will manifest his pledge at his inauguration that “the change was not just for the sake of it but a change in a new direction to move the country forward”.
Let us rally behind Prof. Mills by contributing our quota towards the attainment of a better Ghana.
For this reason, whoever will have the honour and privilege to be nominated by Prof. Mills should make service to the people his/her guiding principle.