Pressure groups from across the country have continued to mount pressure on President John Dramani Mahama to ensure what they believe is their due representation in his government.
Last Thursday evening’s irate action by some youths in Tamale, calling themselves NDC Youth Network for Peace, against the suspected exclusion of former Communications Minister Haruna Iddrisu from President Mahama’s Cabinet was only a dramatization of a worrying trend in Ghanaian politics where groups now openly call for appointments of countrymen into choice positions without any embarrassment.
The action by the Youth Network for Peace followed the announcement of Mr. Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah as the minister designate for the Petroleum and Energy Ministry. For missing out on a new ministry they thought was rightfully theirs, the youth group set out vandalising any billboard of the President and other party paraphernalia that met their sight.
While Minister Iddrisu was busily dissociating himself from the action of his supporters, NDC executives in the Central Region were fighting among themselves over who to put forward as regional candidates for ministerial appointment.
The Finder has also sighted attempts by groups in the Volta Region to push for Mr. Fiifi Kwetey and Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa to be promoted or retained.
The Ga lobbyists have also reportedly reminded the President not to leave out Gas.
While the agitators single out particular individuals for promotion, they clothe their demands in regional colours.
Another common trend in the lobbyists; message is that their preferred ministers have done creditably well in the past that it would be an injustice to deny them the chance to continue working in ministerial positions.
Unfortunately for President Mahama, the announcement of Mr. Kofi Buah as Minister designate for Energy shortly after a chief from his area had loudly lobbied for that very position for him has only gone to reinforce the view that putting pressure on the President is the way to go, even if the two events were coincidental.
The messages of the congratulations from various traditional leaders and youth groups to kinsmen proposed for these positions also make ministerial appointments look more as regional or group’s prizes instead of national positions for service.
As if to reinforce the trend, a recent meeting of a Regional House of Chiefs also sent a message to ministers from the region asking them not to forget about those who put them in their positions.