Vice-President debunks criticism of President

General News of Thursday, 10 January 2013

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The Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, has debunked criticism against the decision by President John Mahama to direct ministers to act in caretaker positions.

He explained that the move by the President was to ensure that there was no vacuum created and also for governance not to come to a halt.

The President, in a statement issued on Tuesday, designated the various substantive ministers, including regional ministers, whose tenure of office expired at midnight on January 6, 2013, in caretaker positions in the various ministries and regions they previously occupied.

That, the statement explained, would ensure orderly conduct of government business in the period before ministers of state were appointed to head the various ministries.

Speaking to journalists at the Flagstaff House in Accra today on a variety of issues, the Vice-President reminded the critics that the President in his directive cautioned that “in accordance with the Transitional Act, persons appointed as caretakers shall not take a decision involving policy issues”.

Mr Amissah-Arthur made the remark at the backdrop of claims in sections of the media that the President had contradicted himself by appointing the same ministers he “relieved of their post” to act as ministers.

He explained that since the ministers were familiar with the work already it would be easy for them to superintend.

On the economy, the Vice-President said the government would confront the economy head-on and be truthful to Ghanaians.

He said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, in its manifesto, put forward short and medium-term plans and gave an assurance that it would follow those promises.

The Vice-President said in spite of the global economic downturn, the government would work hard to prosecute the Better Ghana agenda.