Opinion: Not So Fast, Vim Lady! – By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.

Mrs. Mavis Hawa Koomson

I am writing this piece in a bit of a rush, because the original version was mistakenly guzzled by my shredder yesterday. But I feel strongly that it is important for me to point out to Ms. Afia Pokua (Kantimpo), the Adom-FM’s News Editor, that she has not convincingly backed up her call for the Minister of Special Development Initiatives (SDI) to be expelled from the Akufo-Addo cabinet with any substantive evidence (See “Sack Hawa Koomson and Scrap SDI Ministry – Vim Lady” (MyJoyOnline.com / Ghanaweb.com 12/29/17).

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For her case to bite or have teeth, or be neatly established, as it were, Ms. Pokua needs to assess the performance record of Mrs. Mavis Hawa Koomson, as SDI Minister, throughout the entirety of 2017 to back up her call. I am not, in any way, whatsoever, saying that Ms. Koomson has been kosher or effective as a ministerial appointee; what I am simply implying here is that the Adom-FM’s News Editor has not proved her case of gross administrative incompetence and fiscal wastefulness on the part of her target/subject of removal.

The critic cannot also claim that Ms. Koomson has woefully underperformed, merely because she presented a “bloated” budgetary statement to Parliament. Indeed, if anybody needs to resign or be promptly removed from anywhere, it is the 249 bipartisan Members of Parliament who approved of her budgetary request, knowing fully well that it was outrageously bloated, who need to be recalled from our National Assembly for gross oversight incompetence and dereliction of duties. This, of course, implies that at least 91-percent of our parliamentarians are in the wrongful line of work, and need to find jobs for which they may actually be qualified.

I personally have a problem with the fact that a ministry that is fully staffed with financial and budgetary experts and auditors would have a problem with readily spotting the fact that the GH₵ 800,000 budgetary request for the creation of a ministerial website, was more than a bit of a credibility stretch. We must also note that the sector minister has since publicly clarified matters and ought to be taken at her word, unless, of course, any of her critics have any evidence indicating that her ministry has been engaged in the reckless use of taxpayer money throughout the year. Put in more poignant terms, a pattern of wasteful spending ought to be clearly established against the SDI Minister for her removal to be forensically justifiable, otherwise the entire call for her ouster becomes ad hominem or one that is based on personal animosity or hatred.

You see, what I find to be inexcusably hypocritical on the part of the National Democratic Congress’ Parliamentary Minority, is the fact that they voted overwhelmingly to approve Ms. Koomson’s budgetary request, only to resort to nitpicking after the fact. That does not sound like an intelligent exercise of their oversight responsibilities to me. This is a classical case of Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum to me. Man in the mirror; woman and her shadow. Come again, Vim Lady.

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com  Ghanaffairs

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