You can’t classify yourself a politician if you can’t accept change – Spio-Garbrah

Member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Minister in the erstwhile Jerry John Rawlings and John Mahama administration, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah has reacted to the agitations which has greeted changes made by the party in the leadership of the Minority in Parliament.

According to him, anybody who is not willing to accept changes cannot be classified as a politician.

Mr Spio-Garbrah was speaking on TV3 News360, monitored by GhanaPlus.com on Thursday, January 26.

He noted change is constant and non-negotiable in politics and that every politicians must be aware.

“I think is a matter of change management and some people not being as ready for change as they should be. All of us who claim to be politicians and practice any party of the democratic politics must be aware that the only constant is change”.

“Those of us who have seen for example what is happening in the  in the US congress where the speaker had to be voted for about  twenty times before he was elected or even what is happening in our Ghanaian parliament where the NDC which is in the minority happens to hold the speakership, all attest to the fact that nothing is constant and if you have been in any kind of position for five to six years then you should be surprise that you had been in office for that long because some of us were not in office for even 18months before we were changed”

He explained in all of the four portfolios he served in government under Jerry John Rawlings and John Dramani Mahama, never for once was he consulted before being changed.

Mr Spio-Garbrah spent 18months as the Minister for Communication, 2years as the Minister of Education, two years and a quarter month as Minister of Trade and Industry and finally barely four month as Minister of Energy and Mines.

“……………..So if you are not willing to accept change then it is very difficult to classified yourself as a politician,” Mr Spio-Garbrah said.

Reshuffle: We sometimes heard in the news, we were not consulted – Spio-Garbrah

“In the case of ministers, very rarely have I heard of a minister who is about to be changed being given a warning by his boss, in this case the president that I am about to change you from this ministry to this ministry. In most cases is just information that you receive from the office of the president that prepare to move to this ministry or that ministry and in some cases you may hear it in the news,”the  NDC’s 2006 Presidential hopeful said.

Widespread agitations in NDC over Parliamentary leadership reshuffle

There has been several agitations from a cross section of the opposition National Democratic Congress following the announcement by the party, changing the leadership of the party in Parliament.

The changes saw the Minority Leader, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, his Deputy, James Klutse Avedzi, Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka ousted from their position.

The three will be replaced by Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah and Kwame Agbodza respectively.

Source: GhanaPlus.com