Mike Ocquaye Beats President Mills...

The Africawatch Magazine has released its controversial Political Performance Index (PPI) on 309 Ghanaian politicians with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Dome-Kwabenya, Professor Mike Ocquaye, coming on top ahead of Ghana president John Evans Atta Mills. Prof. Ocquaye was the only politician in the country rated A to earn the accolade as the best performing parliamentarian in Ghana, higher than the Speaker of Parliament, Joyce Bamford Addo, who scored B+. The president, John Evans Atta Mills, was graded separately in six different policy areas; Foreign Policy - C+, Economic Development - C+, Social Interventions - C, Political Developments - B+, National Security - C+ and Ethical Behaviour - B+. Most conspicuous in the F rated zone was the former Greater Accra regional minister and current MP for Ayawaso Central Sheikh I. C Quaye. The 2011 PPI assigned a total of 309 letter grades to Ghanaian politicians. Of that number, only one person received an A rating and eight an A-. Nine officials earned a B+ ranking, while 32 were awarded a B and 25 a B-. Sixty earned a C+, while 59 merited a C and 39 a C-. Near the bottom of the list were 40 politicians who found themselves with a D+ and 18 with a D, leaving another 18 with the lowest-possible grade of F. The Minister for Food and Agriculture Kwesi Ahwoi topped the ministers of state category with a B+, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, deputy minister of local government and rural development led the deputy ministers log with a B+ while the Brong Ahafo regional minister Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo earned for himself a B to top his colleagues in that category. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Dome-Kwabenya Prof. Ocquaye earned the bragging right as the highest scorer in the MPs� league, the chairman of the opposition NPP Jake Obetsebi Lamptey was rated B- while the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) general secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia topped the political party executives� grouping with B. Minister for Works and Housing Alban Bagbin dropped from C in the 2010 rating to C- but was also rated A- as Member of Parliament for Nadowli West. Finance Minister Dr. Kwabena Duffuor improved his rating from B- in 2010 to B this year same as Haruna Iddrisu, the minister of communications. The Health Minister, Joseph Yieleh Chireh, who has come under serious public backlash recently over the doctors� strike dropped from B- to C+ which was the other way round for Hannah Tetteh, Minister of Trade and Industry. Under the deputy ministers� category, a deputy minister of information Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa scored B, Kobby Acheampong of the interior ministry had D+, Baba Jamal also with the information ministry had C-; water, works and housing�s Dr Hannah Bisiw rated C+ with Dr. Edward Omane Boamah of the environment, science and technology as well as Mahama Ayariga of the education ministry both earning B-. James Agyenim Boateng of the tourism ministry had C, but the same could not be said for F rated women and children�s affairs Hawa Boya Gariba and Dr Nii Oakley Quaye-Kumah of the roads and highways ministry. Doe Adjaho, deputy Speaker of Parliament scored A-, Nana Akomea MP for Okaikwei South had B an improvement of last year�s B- while Moses Asaga MP for Nabdam bagged B+. The Africawatch magazine believes its annual index, that has not gone down well with parliamentarians in particular, gives Ghanaians a guide for evaluating the performance of those who represent them at various levels of society.