The team of the President-Elect on the 2016 Presidential Transition Committee has accused the defeated regime of the National Democratic Congress of exhibiting bad faith as regards the last-minute governmental decisions it has been taking, involving appointments, recruitments and awards of contracts.
Consequently, the team has served notice that it reserves the right to review “these and other high profile appointments, recruitments and contracts being embarked upon in these final days contrary to normal conventions associated with Presidential transitions and the consultation mechanism agreed.”
In a press release signed by the Co-Chairperson of the Presidential Transitional Committee, Yaw Osafo Maafo, the team noted with disappointment the actions of the outgoing government to sign contracts and make appointments when it has a couple of weeks to leave office.
“These appointments of Chairman of the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice and Chairman of the National Commission for Civic Education have been done contrary to an earlier agreement at the Transition Committee’s meeting of December 19th, at which meeting it was agreed that such appointments would be done subject to consultation with the Presidential Transition Committee,” the release noted.
It added: “It is the view of the President-Elect’s team, that these appointments coming barely 24 Hours after the agreement and less than three weeks away from the inauguration of the incoming President is most disappointing and exhibits bad faith.”
With less than three weeks for the government to be officially kicked out of office, the president, John Dramani Mahama, has in an apparent indecent haste been taking some decisions which obviously will have far-reaching consequences on the incoming administration of the NPP.
The government’s last-minute decisions reached highly suspicious levels when the president made two high profile appointments to the high office of two pro-democracy state institutions. They are the heads of the National Commission for Civic Education and the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice.
Questions have also been raised over the government’s decision to increase the salary of all public service workers on the Single Spine salary Structure by 12.5 percent as well as an upward review of the allowance of national service personnel by 60 percent.
Further, the outgoing Minister of Environment has signed a waste management contract valued at 18 million euros Reportedly, the Mahama led administration is hastily making recruitment to many governmental institutions including the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority, the Ghana Cocoa Board, the National Service Scheme and Security services, among others.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for NPP transition team, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has warned businesses signing last minute contracts with the outgoing government to stop dreaming of judgment debts if their contracts are cancelled.
Speaking with host of Abusua Nkommo on Abusua FM Kwame Adinkrah, he bemoaned the outgoing government’s failure to communicate the signing of contracts and appointments with the incoming government.
He questioned why the outgoing government transition team did not consult them on the appointments when they had agreed to do so.
“We want the public to know that we were not privy to the appointments and signing of contracts by the outgoing government transition team. Though government has the right to do so, for a smooth transition period, we had agreed to communicate with each other on any plans of a sort. When our leaders asked them why they refused to consult us, they said they are still in power and that President Mahama can appointment whoever he wants,” the MP-elect for Ofoase-Ayirebi added.