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Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has advised that some ministries ought to be combined and underperforming ministers replaced.
Ms. Akuffo, who has recently spoken out against the government’s decision to include pension funds in the ongoing domestic debt exchange program, said having too many ministries is proving to be counterproductive and supports reducing the size of government and replacing underperformers with new hires in a yet-to-air interview with Raymond Acquah of Accra-based Joy News’ Upfront program.
“I think there are many areas where there has not been much to show for and, therefore, somebody else should be asked to try it and then there are some ministries that also need to go back to their former partners, because there are some ministries which were split up”, she noted.
She used an incident to illustrate her position, saying, “I was explaining to my daughter that when I was growing up, there was ministry of transport and communication — that was simply what came to my mind — and transport encompassed air, land, sea — you name it.”
“Anything that is transportational was [under] transport and communication. I think they were even, at that time, in charge of roads for a bit before they split off roads and highways and so on and so forth; but now, we’ve taken everything apart: minister of this, minister of that, deputy minister of this, deputy minister of that and I think we’ve come to the point where it’s quite evident that, indeed, too many cooks do spoil the broth because each one thinks the other one is doing what they should be doing; or everybody is getting into the other person’s way and turf wars and so on and so forth”, Sophia Akuffo stated.
Mr. Otchere-Darko on Sunday criticized Justice Sophia Akuffo for joining pensioner bondholders to picket to demand the total exclusion of their funds from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.
In a tweet, Mr. Otchere-Darko’s said “Why picket over an offer that you have the liberty not to accept?“ She erred big time in her basic appreciation of the issues.”
According to Mr. Gabby, while he sympathizes with those picketing, he finds it difficult to understand why they are asking “to be exempted from an improved offer programme which is voluntary.”
But in a response, Ms Akuffo who returned on Tuesday to join the picketers speaking to Citi Fm described Mr. Otchere-Darko as a “disturbance” and further added that his views are not important to her.
The former Chief Justice first joined the bondholders on Friday leading to varied reactions among Ghanaians and NPP stalwarts.
She threatened to sue the government if their pension funds are included in the debt exchange programe.
Sophia Akuffo served as the Chief Justice under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo between 2017 and 2019.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
