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Appointment To Public Institutions, Competency Or Political Favouritism?

Feature Article Author: Francis Angbabora Baaladong
JUL 4, 2020 LISTEN
Author: Francis Angbabora Baaladong

Our political leadership must at all times demonstrate that they possess the political shrewdness that would guide the country's developmental agenda and not just to fulfil the parochial desires and wishes of their political supporters. Political favouritism and nepotism breeds corruption. This is mostly either in the appointment of persons to occupy positions in public institutions or in awarding of contracts. When any or both of these two things are done to favour political party's faithfuls, it leads to shoddy works and defeats the primary aim of appointing a person or awarding a contract since it then becomes job for the boys as you would always hear. This cost the country millions of cedis all the time because nepotism is chosen over competency

Usually, when we have some uneducated political parties' communicators, who know nothing about how a competent person must be appointed and allowed to work independently in our public institutions instead of getting a party member to do that job, such misguided and ill-trained political communicators will usually opt for the latter. Just take a look at the level of ignorance that's usually displayed, when someone who is appointed apparently based on the person's competency to do a job for mother Ghana and the brouhaha that fills the media about such appointments, all because the person is a member of party A or B. What is painful is the fact, sometimes this tag on the person is perceived. So, if a person qualifies to be appointed to do a job and he or she isn't a card bearing member of a political party in government, it disqualifies that person or takes away his or her professional qualifications or what? I pause for an answer!

These are the very propagandists who attach politics to everything in this country. If you appoint such an ignoramus into any public institutions, he would only look out for party members to do favour to them. Where is this country heading towards with this calibre of people in politics and public services? Such personalities if given the opportunity, they will only appoint their families and friends without considering their capabilities to do the job. Clearly, this is what our state of public institutions appointments have been reduced to and unfortunately, it brings the smooth process of development to a standstill as it also accounts for all the institutional scandals and embezzlements in the country today.

Isn't our constitution clear on discrimination against a person? So where are the human rights activists who only have voices to talk when it matters in some instances but can't talk when these imbecilities happen in the country? Does it mean if a party appoints someone to a position and he or she sees capabilities and competencies in another person in that office, but who isn't a party member, he or she shouldn't assign roles to that person simply because he or she belongs to party A and party B is in office right?

Certainly, to me, the idea of appointing parties' supporters into our public institutions is not only unmeritorious but it also lacks a lot of logic and I believe this forms the basis for those, who usually go round collecting keys to offices and other public institutions and forcing legally appointed individuals out of their offices. This happens whenever a party comes back to political power from opposition. Isn't such a person a Ghanaian before being a member to any political party in the country? Can a foreigner be appointed to hold a position in government in Ghana here? Educate me if I lack that understanding here! Personally, I think anybody that is appointed into an institution, we must look at the person's competency rather than the party he is coming from. After all, the person is coming to work for mother Ghana but not party A or B.

Both the NPP and NDC just pick and train their communicators to engage only in propaganda and how to peddle lies to support their parties' political agenda. Such so-called communicators don't really whether they defend good or bad. Once their party says this is it, they lack the wisdom and reasoning power to interrogate the issues and come out with the best position that would sound logically and politically unbias. The country isn't for only the NDC and NPP to decide who qualifies to work where and when. Let's all allow for the appointment of the right people to the right positions to enable the country develop. If we tilt everything towards political colouration instead of competency and capacity, then we will forever remain stagnant in our development.

Ghana doesn't deserve this from our politicians who lack the acumen to take favourable decisions towards the management of the country. The earlier we start to speak against such inappropriate circumstances, the better for our country's development. Allow the right people to do the work without any political interference from with the usual mantra thus, " the big man/men say this or that"

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FAB.

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