Why The President Must Fire The Chief Of Staff!

The clarion call sizzling from the rank and file of the NDC and independent minded Ghanaians for the President to reshuffle his cabinet is missing a grand beat. All their well-placed anger is directed at the ministers who are visible to the public. Ironically, the President’s Chief of Staff, either by design or luck, has artfully escaped the people’s ire and anger. This is no surprise because this is an office that is not expressly captured by the constitution. Although appointed by the President, the Chief of Staff did not go through the high-publicity confirmation hearing before Parliament like the ministers and other heads of some state institutions. Understanding the nature of this powerful office will open our eyes as to how this government is performing. In essence, as the office of the chief of staff goes so does the performance of this government. And the verdict is there for all to see.

STUNNING REVELATONS

It was a stunner when the President in his wisdom appointed Mr. Prosper Douglas Kweku Bani as his Chief of Staff. The furor that greeted this eminently important national appointment was understandable taking into consideration the fact that:



1. He was and STILL not known by - and to - the rank and file of the party much more the country



2. He is not even a registered member of the umbrella party



AND



3. He did not vote during the December 7, 2012 Parliamentary and Presidential elections.




Notwithstanding the above serious indictment, the NDC embraced – albeit grudgingly – the President’s out-of-the-blue appointment of Mr. Prosper Douglas Kweku Bani on the understanding that the President needs competent hands and the best brains available to move the country forward. After all, who in his or her right mind can begrudge the President for bringing on board intelligent, smart, knowledgeable and competent non-party men and women who are committed to the NDC agenda of catering to the welfare of the masses.



However, after one-and-a-half years in office, the sensible question we must ask ourselves is: Has the Chief of Staff measured up to the high standards set by the President? The frustrations of party honchos and the rank and file of the party grimly sum up the abysmal performance of the Chief of Staff. Understandably, party big wigs including Dr. Kwabena Agyei, the party chairman, Mr. Asiedu Nketia, the hardworking General Secretary and Mr. Yaw Boateng Gyan, the Organizing Secretary have been overheard bitterly and loudly complaining about the incompetence of the Chief of Staff and his commitment to the ideals and manifesto of the party. They honestly believe that the Chief of Staff has been a colossal failure. In fact, this sentiment is shared by a cross-section of the party. The recent agitation by a section of the party’s supporters at Adenta against the Chief of Staff is just the tip of the iceberg.



A CLUELESS, INEPT AND DESTRUCTIVE CHIEF OF STAFF



Tradition has it that the President’s Chief of Staff is the second most powerful and influential man in Ghana. In fact, he is more powerful and influential than the Vice President, Mr. Amissah Arthur. He is the President’s chief advisor and confidant. He is the eyes and ears of the President. Needless to state here that intelligence agencies in the country believe that the present Chief of Staff is even more powerful than the President. This is not a joke. Yes, you heard it here for the first time



All successful governments in history are characterized by clear mindedness, honesty and a sense of direction. And this starts with the competence of the Chief of Staff. As the linchpin -administrative head - of the government, he must see to the elaborate prosecution of the President’s agenda for the country. It is the onerous responsibility of the Chief of Staff to direct, manage and coordinate this overwhelmingly important national assessment. This means that he must be knowledgeable enough to tap into the talent pool of the president’s ministers and his own staff without being overbearing and arrogant. He also serves as the President’s point man to the party. In short, the President’s Chief of Staff must be ruthlessly efficient in directing and executing the President’s agenda for his party in particular and the country in general.


However, since coming to power, it has been embarrassing watching this government spinning and graduating from one scandal to another leading inexorably to the abysmally low approval rating of the President and his government. The latest embarrassment is the “doctored tape scandal” where some shameless elements within the NPP with their media collaborators sought to ridicule and embarrassed the president for some comments he made while in Kumasi. Instead of coordinating with the information minister to present a strong response to that cheap but dangerous propaganda, the Chief of Staff supervised the presentation of two distinct, contradictory stories to the nation thereby offering an undeserved escape route for those nation wreckers.



It is unforgivable that under the Chief of Staff’s watch the President, the Vice President and the Speaker all traveled outside the country to Nigeria, United States and South Korea respectively without adhering to the constitutional edict that the Chief Justice should be sworn in as the acting President. If this is not gross irresponsibility on the part of the chief of staff, then somebody should advise me. In any responsible and serious minded democracy, the Chief of Staff would have been fired for this serious and embarrassing constitutional and political infraction.



Who can forget the disastrous manner he mishandled the Legon Toll Booth brouhaha. Any astute and competent Chief of Staff would have solved that simple matter in a blink. As the chief administrator he has woefully failed to manage the GYEEDA, DUMSO-DUMSO, FORTIZ, SUBAH and SADA scandals. It is the responsibility of the Chief of Staff to efficiently and diligently managed these scandals. After all that is why he is enjoying the privileges of his high office.



As I write, the President is still struggling mightily to appoint ambassadors, metropolitan and district chief executives and other important portfolios. We are here talking about thousands and thousands of appointments. Ask yourself whose responsibility is it to coordinate these appointments? How do we expect the President to efficiently manage the country when such loaded appointments are not made?


THE CHIEF OF STAFF, THE PARTY AND THE MASSES



There is a total disconnect between the President and the rest of the country including the rank and file of his own party. This serious situation has developed as a direct result of the firewall the Chief of Staff has succeeded in building around the President. He is now tightly controlled by the Chief of Staff and his posse. In essence, the President is divorced from the reality on the ground because he is fed with lies and half truths. The disconnection is such that the President has lost his humanity. Indeed, his emotional attachment to the grass root of the party and the masses who defied the odds and voted for him is practically non-existent. It is surprising that President Mahama has so soon lost sight of the truism that he came to power on the back and sweat of core NDC members and independent minded voters and not necessarily his youth, affable nature and close friends. Has the President forgotten that if he loses credibility among his core supporters, he loses his legitimacy and credibility to govern? What happened to President Mahama's sensibility?



Let’s cut to the chase: There is no coordination in this government all because the Chief of Staff does not cut the muster as the President’s chief administrator. He is now the proverbial albatross hanging around the neck of the President and the party.



WHEN HISTORY CALLS



I am inspired to make this national call because I honestly believe that the President is being railroaded by the Chief of Staff and his posse led by Stan Dogbe and must be told the full extent and magnitude of the problems facing his administration to enable him fashion out solutions. The uncomfortable truth is that what has happened in the past year and half of President Mahama’s tenure is regrettable. The need for fresh thinking is here and His Excellency has no other choice but to do what is right for the country, his party and his legacy. I know as a matter of fact that he cares about his legacy and does not want to be associated with failure. It breaks my heart to hear the disquieting comparison of this administration to that of the late Dr. Hilla Limann’s. The President knows that history has been brutally disparaging to Ex-President Limann. What is comforting is that President Mahama has at least two years and half years to salvage whatever is left of his legacy and two and half years is a long time in the life of any Presidency.



I know that the President is not anemic to history lessons. Ex-President Clinton of United States of America offers instructive lessons as to how to turn political adversity into political fortune. Smelling that the democrats were going to be walloped in the 1994 mid-term elections, President Clinton rightly dismissed his Chief of Staff, Mr. Thomas “Mack” McLarthy III, who happened to be his close friend from Arkansas. Although, this momentous decision did not save the democrats in the 1994 mid-term elections, it set the right tone for the rest of his Presidency. In Leon Paneta, the President got himself an enforcer who brought order and respect to the Presidency. President Clinton did not allow his long standing relationship with Mr. Thomas McLarthy III to destroy his presidency, his party and the country. President Mahama is in the same predicament as President Clinton and he must act wisely.




CHAFING AT THE PRETENSE




QUESTIONS:



1. When is the President going to deploy the nuclear option in firing the CHIEF OF STAFF?

AND

2. Can the President continue to chafe at the on-going crisis in his own office that is adversely affecting his Presidency and the fortunes of his party?



It is especially surprising that after so many failures and inactions, the President still deems it necessary to maintain his Chief of Staff. Something is damnably not right. The President must start thinking big in terms of burnishing his legacy, strengthening the levers of government, his party and our democracy. Right now, it does not look good and we shudder to think that he and his confidants want to relinquish power to the opposition on a silver platter.



What the President must know by now is that his affable nature and fine speeches are not working the magic. In strict terms, Ghanaians are “speeched out”. They need action and the action must necessarily start from his immediate surroundings, namely, firing Mr. Prosper Douglas Kwaku Bani and reshuffling some of his senior advisors and confidants. He cannot pretend that he does know the good ones among them. The President must take a stand and defend the integrity of his office instead of allowing himself to be driven by personal attachments. I honestly believe that the President’s approval rating is going to rise up again if he is bold enough to weed out the bad managers among his cabinet and key confidants. He has his legacy to protect but importantly he has a party and a country to lead and build.



From the foregoing, it makes intuitive sense the President must first dismiss his Chief of Staff!



And it must be now and not later.



KWADWO CRISTO

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