The Deputy Education Minister-Designate Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said contrary to perceptions that ministers of State waste national resources, some of them, he asserted, rather make a lot of sacrifices for the country.
“…A lot of times it’s not fair, you look at some of our ministers, they’ve even come to sacrifice because what they were earning before was more”.
Citing some examples to buttress his claim, Okudzeto Ablakwa said: “Somebody like Dr Kwabena Duffuor who was finance Minister…was earning more, somebody like [Current Finance Minister] Seth Terkper was earning more at the World Bank than he is earning now as a Minister, our current Vice President was earning more as a Governor”.
He told XYZ Breakfast in an interview that Ministers must not be seen as vampires who are only interested in milking the country dry.
“Even some Chief Executives of state enterprises are paid more than the President… [and] Ministers and yet in this debate the impression is created that you have just a vampire click called ministers who are sucking this nation dry”.
His comments came in the backdrop of a debate concerning the size of the Mahama administration.
The President has so far appointed about 86 ministers and deputies. Critics like the Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper Kwesi Pratt Junior believe a maximum of 50 ministers will do.
However, Majority Leader Benjamin Kumbuor and other government officials have defended the size of the President’s administration.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa who recently wrote an article on the debate said the alleged perks and resources allocated to Ministers have been grossly exaggerated.
He said it was inaccurate for people to think that: “When you are appointed [as a minister], immediately you are given a 4×4…[and] a saloon car”.
“It’s not true”, he exclaimed.
“…It’s not true that when ministers are appointed it comes with cooks and garden boys and domestic servants, it is not true”, he insisted, adding that:”All of these things are wild exaggerations. It is not true at all…let’s be more factual, let’s cut out some of the exaggerations”.