Editorial News of Monday, 15 May 2006

Source: ADM

Editorial: The Reshuffle: Not Over

Last week the president completed the re-organization of his ministerial portfolios with the reshuffle of Regional and Deputy Ministers.

Like the earlier reshuffle of his cabinet, some stalwarts have been dropped and some new faces have been brought on board.

The president may choose to or not to explain his decision, that's his prerogative. We therefore do not think it serves any serious purpose for us to join the argument as to whether he should tell the reasons for appointing or un-appointing members of his team. The buck stops right on his executive desk.

What is of interest to us is output - that is, the effectiveness of the new team. They really must deliver the goods because the two or so years left before Election 2008 are crucial to the fortunes of the party which brought this government to power, first in 2000 and again in 2004. They have a historic task of performing so well or so bad as to decide the outcome of the 2008 elections one way or the other.

To us therefore the reshuffle is not over. It cannot be, because, between now and the next elections, all slackers would have to be dropped so that go-getters can be brought on board to help maintain the momentum of election victories which the current president kicked off in 2000.

He took over from the NDC; all his appointees must assist him to hand over to the NPP in 2009. We know that is his wish and manifest destiny; his team members must not let him down. The reshuffle therefore continues