A former governance advisor at the United Nation (UN), Professor Baffuor Agyemang Duah, has joined calls for President AKufo-Addo to name the composition of his cabinet, saying he sees no reason why the president is unable to publicly announce his cabinet.
“What is a constitutional requirement must be duly respected,” he stated Thursday on Morning Starr.
He said “truly” one expects that getting to hundred days in office “the public…citizens have to know who constitute the cabinet to advise the president and to make this decision with the president.”
For him, even though there is no timeline for the announcement of cabinet, “One sees no reason why there is this delay in making known which people constitute the cabinet.”
The constitution allows for not less than nine and not more than 19 members of cabinet, and the president is yet to disclose the composition of his cabinet—a development a former presidential staffer in the Mahama government, Dr. Clement Apaak described as worrying and unhealthy for the country’s democracy.
He said the delay does not speak well of the president’s democratic credentials given that his predecessor, John Mahama announced his cabinet members immediately after swearing in his ministers.
A position Prof. Duah acknowledged, saying the public ought to know “who and who” are advising the president on certain critical issues.
He said normally by the second month at most, of a president’s leadership, one would expect the “full complement” of the governance structure by a define cabinet.
“So I think…in that respect it is very important and I think the president [Akufo-Addo] ought to give due attention and make amends as soon as possible,” he told Morning Starr Host Francis Abban.
He added: “The cabinet is the decision making body of governance. So the president traditionally meet every Thursday with his cabinet to review and make appropriate decisions. [For the president] to allay the concerns of people on this matter. I believe it is very important for the president to come forward to announce the group.
“After all ministers have been appointed and vetted and they are in office. Those awaiting vetting are just deputy ministers who are never going to be members of the cabinet. So one sees no reason why after getting all these ministers approved…who have taken office…one sees no reason why for this long delay. So I think it is proper for the president to make good on this as soon as practicable.”
