By Maxwell Ofori [email protected] The transition team members from both the government and incoming NPP administration have agreed that the former could undertake its constitutional mandate, including the signing of critical contracts, with the prior knowledge of the President-elect’s team. Briefing the media yesterday, the new spokesperson of the Transition Team of the incoming […]
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By Maxwell Ofori
The transition team members from both the government and incoming NPP administration have agreed that the former could undertake its constitutional mandate, including the signing of critical contracts, with the prior knowledge of the President-elect’s team.
Briefing the media yesterday, the new spokesperson of the Transition Team of the incoming administration and Member of Parliament-elect for Ofoase Ayirebi constituency, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, indicated that it was never the case that the incoming government was usurping the powers of the current government.
He continued that the outgoing Mahama-led government could act, but in consultation with the Transition Team.
“I’m happy to inform you that the two co-chairpersons, Mr Julius Debrah, the Chief of Staff and Osafo Maafo, who is representing the President-elect, have arrived at an agreement, which was discussed extensively and gratified by the entire transition committee.
“The agreement is simply that, without prejudice to the powers of the current government to function until the expiration of its tenure, major decisions that affect recruitments and things like contracts will be done on a consultation basis.
“So it is not as though anybody is taking away the current administration’s power to act, but it is also important that with an eye to what lies ahead, the government does the necessary consultation now, so nobody is forced to have to review, or to look at anything,” he added.
The agreement came on the heels of allegations that the sitting government was recruiting personnel into the security agencies and signing new contracts, after being defeated at the just-ended polls.
Those allegations were made by the representative of the President-elect on the Transition Team, Mr Osafo Maafo, when addressing the media at their first meeting, after the inauguration of the Transition Team.
Mr Osafo Maafo disclosed last Thursday that: “We have heard from the grapevine, a few things which have become our concern, talking about the incoming government’s transition team.
“For instance, about ongoing recruitment into the security services now, which we hope is not true. We’ve heard of conversion of temporary staff of political assistance into permanent public servants.
“We’ve heard of award of new contracts after the elections results were announced. We’ve heard of procurement and sale of national assets after the results. We do not want to believe that these allegations are true…
“And, therefore, I’m asking my colleague, the Chief of Staff, that after the elections, and the results have been declared, and the change is not from the government handing over to itself, but to a different government, the system is a little different.
“We need to be cautious; we need to be transparent; we need to be candid; and we need to be factual. We are, therefore, appealing to our colleagues that, within this period, if there’s anything that needs to be done, consultation has to be brought on board,” he remarked
Responding to the above on the same day however, the Spokesperson for the government team, Hannah Tetteh, who is the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, told journalists to “…remember that when we have a transfer of political power, the State of Ghana remains the state. Actions that were taken with proper authorisation, prior to the elections, are actions which those institutions can take further action on, because at the time that they were authorised to. The persons who are giving them the authorisation to do so have the legal mandate to be able to do so…”
Meanwhile, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah further stated that the process was still at the first step, where documents were being received from the sitting government.
According to him, stage one was taking quiet a time, but was hopeful they would be able to go through the process, to prepare the grounds for the incoming government to take full charge, come January 7, 2017.
“We are only now at step one, which is to receive the documents, though it’s taking a bit of time. Step two is starting, that’s where they are going to do the reading and the interrogatories.
“We are hopeful that in due course, or around the time of inauguration, we have gone pretty far with what we have to do with the inauguration.
“The transition is not an event, it is a process, and we expect that we will finish in time for the new government to take over the reins of government.”
Nonetheless, the only remaining handing-over notes, as at press time, was that of the Office of the President, after the government’s side of the Transition Team had presented a total of 39 handing-over notes.
In the interim, Yaw Osafo Maafo has acknowledged receipt of the handing over notes, with the exception of that of the office of government machinery, which, they assured, would be presented in no time.
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