Mills' baby ministers have failed - Ras Mubarak

A National Democratic Congress (NDC) youth activist says majority of the youthful ministers President John Evans Atta Mills appointed have failed.

Affectionately called Ras Mubarak in media circles, the NDC operative categorically emphasized that “the greedy bastards in the Mills administration must not allow him to fail.”

Mohammed Abdulai Mubarak, who emphasized that he is an apostle of ex-President Rawlings, said he was personally happy the President appointed some youth as ministers but told Emefa Apawu, host of the ‘Big Bite’ on X FM 95.1, a private radio station in Accra, that majority of the ministers have not lived up to expectation.

One of President Mills’ promises prior to the 2008 general election was to include a lot of women and young people in his government. Upon assumption, he appointed a host of young men and women to head key ministerial institutions in the country.

But Ras Mubarak said many of these ministers are contributing virtually nothing to President Mills’ ‘Better Ghana Agenda’. He said it is time these ministers realize that “they do not have the luxury of time.”

Ras Mubarak said the NDC government has a good story to tell Ghanaians in 2012 but a lot more work remains to be done, especially in their strongholds. “Four years will be up in any minute, so we’ve got to be in a hurry to meet the aspirations of the people of Ghana. If you take a place like Tamale, Tamale is one of our strongholds; the people have so much expectation of us. Unfortunately, we are not even living up to that expectation of bringing about justice to the people of Dagbon, whose overlord was assassinated under the Kufuor presidency.”

He also cited the Volta Region, another NDC stronghold, as being virtually sidelined by the Mills-led administration, saying “If you look at the Volta Region, the condition there is nothing to write home about.”

He noted that the NDC must hurriedly sort out its problems in order to keep the people happy. He added that failure to do so would make it difficult for the party to go back to the people of Ghana to seek their mandate. Ras Mubarak said the NDC would have a hectic time in 2012 if things continue to remain the way they are.

He stated that majority of the NDC supporters are disillusioned, stressing that “you cannot win an election when majority of your people feel let down, when you do not have majority of the people with you and when you cannot appeal to the centre.”

He emphasized that the only way forward is for the party to take proper care of its foot-soldiers. Ras Mubarak also discounted claims that there are Atta Mills’ and Rawlings’ factions in the NDC, saying “former President Rawlings is NDC and NDC is Mr. Rawlings, anyone who will not want to follow the ideals of the founder has no place in the party.”