Abu Jinapor Questions Size Of Mahama’s Government

Samuel Abu Jinapor, the former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and Member of Parliament (MP) for Damango, has sparked a critical debate on how the size of Ghana’s government should be assessed. His remarks came during a parliamentary discussion on the President’s State of the Nation address, where he challenged the narrow focus on the number of cabinet ministers and deputies as the sole metric for evaluating government size. Jinapor’s comments were in response to Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, who had lauded former President John Dramani Mahama for reducing the number of ministers to 60 during his second term—a record low in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.

While Iddrisu highlighted this reduction as a benchmark for government efficiency and fiscal responsibility, Jinapor argued that such an assessment is incomplete. He emphasized that the true scope of government extends beyond cabinet ministers to include a significant number of presidential advisers, staffers, and specialists, whose roles and influence often go unnoticed but have substantial implications for governance and national expenditure.

The Hidden Layer of Government: Presidential Advisers and Staffers

Jinapor pointed out that the current framework for evaluating government size fails to account for the extensive network of presidential appointees who operate outside the purview of parliamentary oversight. Unlike cabinet ministers, who undergo rigorous vetting and scrutiny by Parliament, presidential advisers and staffers are appointed directly by the president without similar transparency or accountability measures. These positions, though less visible, wield considerable influence over government operations and policy implementation.

The Damango MP highlighted the hierarchical significance of these roles, noting that senior presidential advisers and the Chief of Staff often rank above cabinet ministers in terms of authority and responsibilities, second only to the Speaker of Parliament. This structure, he argued, creates a parallel layer of governance that escapes public and parliamentary scrutiny, potentially undermining accountability and transparency.

The Financial and Administrative Implications

Jinapor raised concerns about the financial burden posed by the growing number of presidential appointees. He noted that while reducing the number of cabinet ministers might appear to streamline government operations, the proliferation of advisers and staffers could offset any savings. Presidents, he explained, have the discretion to appoint hundreds of such officials, effectively expanding the government’s machinery without requiring parliamentary approval. This lack of oversight, he argued, not only increases the cost of governance but also creates gaps in accountability.

The MP stressed that the absence of parliamentary scrutiny for these appointees allows for potential inefficiencies and mismanagement of resources. He called for a more comprehensive approach to evaluating government size, one that considers both the number of ministers and the often-overlooked presidential staffers. Such an approach, he believes, would provide a clearer picture of the government’s true scale and its impact on national resources.

A Call for Nuanced Evaluation and Greater Transparency

Jinapor’s critique underscores the need for a more nuanced understanding of government size and its implications for governance. He urged policymakers and analysts to look beyond the surface-level metrics of cabinet ministers and deputy ministers and to examine the broader ecosystem of presidential appointees. By doing so, he argued, Ghana can achieve a more accurate assessment of government efficiency and accountability.

The Damango MP also called for reforms to enhance transparency in the appointment of presidential advisers and staffers. He suggested that these positions should be subject to parliamentary vetting or other forms of oversight to ensure that they are held to the same standards of accountability as cabinet ministers. Such measures, he believes, would strengthen public trust in government institutions and promote more responsible use of national resources.

Source: GhanaFeed.Com