Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga dismissed what he described as the Minority’s futile and misleading attempt to brand President John Mahama’s administration as bloated.
According to him, contrary to the claims of former Lands and Natural Resources Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor and Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin that Mahama has appointed over 100 staffers, the President has only appointed 30 staffers and advisors.
“So far, President John Mahama has appointed only 30 presidential staffers and advisors. 30,” Ayariga emphasized.
Debating the Motion on the State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Friday, the Majority Leader ridiculed the Minority’s concerns about the size of the current government, pointing to the Akufo-Addo era.
Bloated government
He said, “Mr. Speaker, at one point, the NPP government had over 125 ministers. Indeed, 126. And it came down to 86.”
Ayariga stressed the stark contrast in the number of presidential staffers, noting that in 2021, the previous administration had 934 presidential staffers compared to Mahama’s 30.
He also criticized the budget allocations to the Office of Government Machinery under the Akufo-Addo regime, which he said was riddled with bloated staffers and excessive spending.
He revealed that between 2017 and 2022, the Office of Government Machinery received allocations ranging from GH¢1.4 billion to GH¢2.9 billion annually.
“That is your track record when it comes to appointments and government expenditure on itself. That is how frightening the figures look,” Ayariga remarked.
He praised President Mahama for demonstrating fiscal prudence and assuring Ghanaians that their resources would be put to better use.
The Majority Leader underscored the need for fiscal discipline and a comprehensive overhaul of Ghana’s public service, comparing Mahama’s lean approach to governance with the previous government’s excesses.
He argued that the debate on the size of government should extend beyond just ministers and presidential staffers, calling for a review of the civil service and governance institutions to eliminate waste and inefficiencies.
“The debate about the size of government is not simple political rhetoric. We need to debate it further, beyond the political class. We need to overhaul the entire civil service, the entire public service, and the entire institutions of governance. Many institutions are just duplicating the functions of others. And the taxpayer is called upon to pay for that,” he stated.
The Majority leader also criticized the bloating of public institutions, which he said creates unnecessary bureaucracy and stifles private sector growth.
“We recruit many people that do nothing. And indeed, we clog the public services and institutions with so many workers that when they struggle to find work to do, we just create additional layers of bureaucracy that make it impossible for the private sector to function.”
He urged a rethinking of decentralization in light of advancements in communication technology and transportation infrastructure.
“In the age of communication technology revolutions and improvements in transportation infrastructure, we must rethink how we decentralize. We must rethink what services the government should render and what services are better left for the private sector to render,” he said, praising the current administration’s efforts to streamline government operations.
By Osumanu Al-Hassan/thenewsbulletin24.com