HANDS OFF Seth Terkper�He�s Executing The President�s Mandate

The May 13 National Economic Forum at Akosombo would be held against the backdrop of incessant calls by certain misguided leading members of the NDC on President Mahama to fire his hardworking and incorruptible Finance Minister, Seth Terkper. The Central Regional Communication Director of the NDC, Allotey Jacobs and Alhaji Bature Iddrisu of the Al Hajj newspaper have been at the forefront of the campaign to dismiss the Finance Minister. Mr. Jacobs and Mr. Bature, last month during separate radio talk shows, called on President Mahama to sack Mr. Terkper. They claimed that he (Mr. Terkper) was incapable of managing Ghana�s economy, blaming him for the current economic crisis. Fortunately, right-thinking members of the society are not amused by such irresponsible and destructive demands on the President. The United Cadre�s Front (UCF) of NDC in Krobo land, together with some Chiefs in the area, have been rallying support for Mr. Terkper, not necessarily because he is native of Krobo land but more so because he has been able to execute the mandate given him by President Mahama. The cadres and the Chiefs � Nana Tetteh Agbleze III, divisional Chief of Plau Yilo Krobo Traditional Area and Setse Odehebi Keklebesi Apana, senior citizen and stool father of Okper Adumam-Kordum Royal Clan, Yilo Krobo Traditional Area in the Eastern Region are right in arguing that the current economic crisis confronting the country was not orchestrated by the embattled Finance Minister. The two Krobo traditional leaders condemned Mr. Allotey Jacob�s �irresponsible, destructive and inflammable utterance which described the Finance Minister, Seth Terkper, as Judas of NDC�, saying it was �grossly improper, a calculated attempt by Mr. Allotey Jacobs and some members of NDC to destroy the good and transparent works of the Finance Minister.� What Allotey Jacobs and his ilk are failing to appreciate is that no one can scare the performance of Seth Terkper apart from President Mahama who appointed him. The President recently praised Mr. Terkper for introducing reforms and ensuring financial discipline within the public sector. What this means is that Seth Terkper is excellently executing his mandate with distinction; otherwise he would not be receiving such positing remarks from the man who appointed him. It is obvious that those pushing for Mr. Terkper�s dismissal are only displaying their ignorance of the remarkable improvement that the Finance Minister has brought into the management of the economy. As indicated by the Chiefs, Mr. Terkper, as a Minister of Finance, inherited an unstable Global Economy, falling of international commodity prices of Ghana�s main exports such as gold and cocoa and virtually empty public coffers. Since his assumption of office, Mr.Terkper has done away with unsustainable financial policies that have been proving to be harmful to Ghana�s Economy. He has proved himself to be a man of public probity, putting economic interest of the nation before narrow sectarian concerns and personal gain. The last thing, therefore, that anyone would expect is attacks on such a hardworking Minister who is trying to transform the economy. Those who are seeking to derail Seth Terkper re invariably seeking to derail and destroy the progress he is undoubtedly making to rehabilitate the national economy. Again, calling for the sack of Mr. Terkper is a tacit endorsement of misguided statements by political opponents that President Mahama�s administration has failed. After all, the Finance Minister is simply executing the mandate given him by the President.