THE NDC CABINET RESHUFFLE - A PARLIAMENTARY COUP?

This week saw a variety of happenings on the political landscape but one which caught the attention of most observers was the impact, interpretation and seeming precedent of the cabinet reshuffle. Though its not the first time there has been a cabinet reshuffle, the characters that seem to have been caught in this particular web was most astonishing. Of course the talk of a reshuffle has been peddled in the media for a couple of months now such that a fortnight ago, the President was asked during a media interaction if there was an impending reshuffle. He unequivocally answered NO only to have returned from his party's congress for this reshuffle. After a year and nineteen days in office, H.E. chose to offer what had been requested by the public six months ago but with a twist the public cannot fathom. Dear reader, it is not my wish to bore you with long talk but rather I crave for your indulgence in considering the impact of the Proffessor's first cabinet reshuffle. It is a fact that in sub-saharan Africa, there is a positive correlation between political office and economic/wealth empowerment and acquisition unless you know of a political offfice holder who is still "poor". In Ghana, political appointees in the Executive seem to confirm this assertion much better than their Legislative and Judicial counterparts.

Well, the reshuffle did not only affect members of the Executive but significantly altered the leadership of parliament. Do not ask how because in my country, the phrase 'separation of powers' in political discourse is seemingly meaningless to our democratic practice. We seem to practice the Hybrid type of democracy which calls not for a 'separation but a combination of powers'. Hence, the three arms of government enjoy a relationship which makes the President and his Executive a father-figure in this three tier relation if He's able to secure a majority in Parliament. Then there is the more economically lucrative appointments of Ministers of State which sees H.E. choosing majority of this group from amongst the M.P.s. So to qualify for this money making office, you must catch the attention of the President. Whereas some choose the sychophantic tune - Atta ooohhh Atta, others like Agbo, Bagbin play the Hardcore label. Both tunes seem to be yielding some results as this reshuffle may suggest.

Hon. Alban Sumana K. Bagbin has been in parliament since 1993 and led the NDC in parliament for 8 years during Kufuors reign. Hon. Enoch Teye Mensah has equally been in parliament for that long. The same can be said of Hon. Akologu, John Tia, the experienced journalist who represents the people of Tallensi in parliament. You must recollect how as Minority leader, Bagbin consistenly called for a clear separation of powers between the executive and legislature. Also the law professor is no stranger to principles of good governance and the need for the strengthening of our democracy by actions which do not undermine our state institutions. I recollect how the NDC greatly interpreted the promotion of some Judges to the Supreme court during the Tsatsu trial as an abuse of authority by then President Kufour. So why would Prez. Mills with all the knowledge available to him and his NDC plot this coup against three ranking members of the leadership of parliament. For some NDC MPs, it is not the removal of their leadership but the absence of consultation in taking such a decision. I am of the opinion that if the President wants to bequeath a better legacy to Mother Ghana, it is not the number of corrupt officials he can jail but rather leaving our democratic institutions like parliament much stronger than he met them.

Good governance calls for the internalisation of time tested democratic principles like the independece and separation of powers. I would rather expect that since H.E. has expressed his desire for the review of the constitution to make it possible for some of these principles to bring meaning to our democracy, he would show the goodwill towards this openly expressed intention by not engaging in this parliamentary coup d'etat. But why would these three fine gentlemen also prefer the executive job to parliamentary work? Hon.s, is it the case that you genuinely want to make way for a new crop of the NDC leadership in parliament? Why was there a failure to consult with your parliamentary caucus? Have you been desirous of an executive office due to its economic benefits? Now, you would not take a car loan but rather be chauffer driven in a new 4W car bought by the state. Hon.s, you should have continued with your fight for Ghana's parliament. Now, I don't know if your fights during the last eight years under Prez.  Kufour was  genuine. Maybe, either we need to make ministerial offices less economically lucrative or treat office holders in parliament in a like manner as their counterparts in the Executive. Then those genuinely desirous of improving the institution of parliament would be insulated in a way from government political machinations as these demotions. Now even our NDC MPs would be watching their backs just to avoid stepping on the wrong toes of Big Daddy. If Bagbin was demoted, then you better watch your back.

The cry by a vice chair of your party and some voiceferous MPs on these new appointments points to nothing but a coup d'etat by the executive on the parliamentary caucus of the NDC, probably an after effect of the MORTAURY MAN label. Uncle Atta, would you please bring your knowledge and experience on governance to bear on our teenage democracy. If Mother Ghana would take the lead in good governance in sub-saharan Africa as we fervently desire, we need the few academics who get the opportunity for political office not to betray their books, degrees, titles, and country. We may shut our voices if such acts if come from college students who get into such offices through the AK 47s and so cannot understand why for instance judges would rule in a way they do not understand. But for real patriots, we find no apology for such onslaught on our parliament. 

Consultation is an intergral part of democracy.  No public office holder is indispensable but when it affects the very core of our democracy, broad consultation must be held across the political front. Our politicians must learn this in governing us and Ghana would win. 

GBEVLO LARTEY AND SIM CARD REGISTRATION

Sometime last year, Col. Gbevlo Lartey (Rtd), a former commander of the erstwhile 64 Battalion – a.k.a Commandos, a special unit of the Ghana Armed Forces loyal to the PNDC and Chairman Rawlings, who now is the National Security Coordinator of the Atta-Mills government out of the blue instructed telecom service providers to register all SIM cards (CHIP). This instruction did not engage the minds of the social commentators privileged to be on radio and TV until the earthquake hoax which saw me waking up at 3:30GMT that fateful night. It was believed this hoax had been facilitated by mobile phone calls and text messages. Then the newly elected propaganda secretary of the Umbrella decided to tell Ghanaians that the hoax was facilitated by their political detractors – obviously he qualified for this propaganda job. That same week, a jail breaker calls the Upper West Regional Police Commander on phone to threaten his life. Then Gbevlo Lartey decided to remind Ghanaians of his earlier instruction and this time round to give a deadline to the mobile phone operators. It was this instruction that set forth the debate of which I humbly join not based on any technical or expert knowledge but rather from the viewpoint of a user of a telephony service and a layman.

 

Mr National Security, I wish to remind you in case you have forgotten that very few people trust you and your national security. The political history of this country supports this. Your office had in the past and now been used for political persecution. In 2001, national security operatives continuously mounted operations against former government officials of the NDC. Upon assuming office, your office sacked employees believed to have been employed between 2001 and 2008. Well I never heard you debunk this story. Then your persecution and harassment of NPP government officials including the flagbearer of NPP in the 2008 elections who missed being President by less than two thousand votes was set forth. Till today, his car is still in your possession. The fact of the matter is that some of us Ghanaians do not want anything to do with national security no matter which party is in power. So once you decide to ask us to register our sim cards, some of us who are already registered are considering quitting mobile phones. Eh! National security would be monitoring their political opponents.

 

Secondly, Mr Gbevlo Lartey, I wonder if the registration of cars has stopped criminals from using cars in their clandestine activities. Is it not the case that a call log can be established from a phone if an appropriate court order is sought? For instance, MTN upon a court order can produce all call made from a particular sim card. An appropriate investigative body which is well equipped would be able to establish the identity of who used the sim in question whether or not that sim is registered. Moreover, assuming my sim is stolen at 22:30GMT and is used for criminal activity @ 23:00GMT that same night. How am I exonerated from criminal liability since I am the registered and bonafide owner of this sim card? Can national security assure me, a law abiding citizen who has registered my sim card of protection?

 

The fact of the matter is that to fight crime involving mobile phones require nothing near to sim card registration. What national security is proposing is the easy way out. To call MTN and ask them who owns 054xxxxxxx? An able bodied security apparatus must think outside the box. For now, I can conjecture a thousand and one ways to beat your proposed system if the objective is to reduce crime facilitated by mobile phones. I also wonder why national security would bypass the National Communications Authority (NCA), the organisation that regulates operations of the telecommunications service providers in Ghana. I also wonder if our emails have been registered by national security. Or are you monitoring the emails we send and receive everyday? Mr National Security, if the objective of registering sim cards is to know who owns which sim card, then I wonder why national security would be interested in knowing who owns which sim card unless there is political gain to be made by the ruling party as the history of the national security apparatus has shown. It is an institution which chases cars of former ministers of state and gives it to party foot soldiers has happened to Nana Akomea’s car early 2009.

If National Security is poking its nose into our sim cards under the huge banner of national security concerns, more questions than answers are raised. Very soon, the choice of our clothes, the beer we drink, and the night clubs we prefer to party would all be national security concerns. For in the clubs we meet people and discuss anything of interest. It is a perfect excuse to infringe on the freedom of citizens and the first step at nationalising every citizen. Our freedom is inalienable. The coat of arms, the national emblem of the state says Freedom and justice. Don’t hide under anything to limit our freedom. National security, please get off our backs!!!!