AbstractThis paper offers a unique perspective on NPM enactment. NPM is the key means by which neoliberal policies penetrate society and there is now a considerable literature on NPM in many economies. The influence of NPM tends to be depicted as significant, embedded, and irreversible. This study offers findings of resistance and rejection of NPM by a cadre of politicians who did not accept the trappings of NPM. The importance of accounting and metrics was rejected by politicians in this study. These actions also influenced the actions of professionals in health care organizations.