President John Mills on Tuesday, February 15 announced a ministerial reshuffle of some of his deputy ministers, swapping a number of of them while bringing in some fresh faces.
The Deputy Minister for Eastern Region, Baba Jamal, is now at the Information Ministry to replace James Agyenim-Boateng who moves to the Tourism Ministry; Deputy Trade Minister, Mahama Ayariga, will replace Dr. J.S. Annan, as the Deputy Education Minister while Mr. Aquinas Quansah has been appointed the Deputy Minister-designate for the Local Government Ministry.
The current Deputy Tourism Minister, Kobby Acheampong, has been moved to the Ministry of Interior and Mr. Ernest Attuquaye Armah, has been appointed the Deputy Communications Minister-designate.
But the Member of Parliament for Nsuta-Kwamang Beposo constituency in the Ashanti Region, Hon. Kwame Osei-Prempeh, argues that the reshuffle will not alter the trend of governance.
Though he admits reshuffling of ministers is the prerogative of the President, as an outsider, he maintains that no new ideas will be introduce by the affected ministers regarding this particular reshuffle.
Speaking on e-TV’s Breakfast Show, the former Deputy Attorney General under the Kufuor administration, described Mr. Kobby Acheampong reshuffle to the Ministry of Interior is misplaced. According to him, the Interior Ministry is too sensitive a place for anyone cast in the mould of Kobby Acheampong. He described Kobby Acheampong as having an “acid tongue and undiplomatic behavior”.
“…the Ministry of Interior has institutions like the Police, Immigration and others under it and having someone with such undiplomatic behavior will not help…Kobby Acheampong from Tourism to Interior Ministry which is a sensitive ministry?… this is a man everybody knows for his acid tongue and undiplomatic behaviour,” he said.
To him, the current Minister of Interior, Dr. Kumbour is a “fine gentleman” and deserves to be complimented with somebody of his cut.
“There is a fine gentleman as the Minister of Interior, Dr. Kumbour, who will not offend anybody, very efficient and I believe he ought to have been complimented by somebody of his cut. But if the president wants a balance by complimenting a cool guy with an aggressive acid tongue man,…that is the president’s own cup of tea,” he added.
However, the MP for Ashiaman, Hon. Alfred Agbesi, who was also a panelist on the show, sharply disagreed with his colleague MP’s assertions pointing out that people change under different environment and when thrust with challenging responsibilities.