"Prez Mills Cannot Gag Us”

In spite of denials by Mr. Mahama Ayariga, Presidential Spokesperson, that President John Evans Atta Mills has scolded Ghanaians for complaining about the living standards in the country, certain political personalities in the country especially from New Patriotic Party (NPP), Convention People’s Party (CPP) and People’s National Convention (PNC) continue to fire salvos at the President for his comments. The latest political figures to join forces against the President on the issue are PNC’s General Secretary, Mr. Bernard Mornah and CPPs National Youth Organizer, Mr. Joseph Kwabena Bomfeh, (called Kabila), who said the President cannot gag Ghanaians because they are criticizing his style of administration of this country. According to the members of the Nkrumaist parties, Mills-led administration was given the mandate to completely transform the state of affairs for which reason “they have every right to speak everyday on the administration of this country as far as things are not going on right” The two were reacting to President’s comments recently in the Ashanti Region that Ghanaians were complaining too much about hardship under his Presidency. The National youth Organizer of the CPP said President Mills and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government should not think that Ghanaians will be quite when the economy is not managed well. He told the Ghanaian Observer (GO) in an interview that Ghanaians are only exercising their constitutional right as people in a democratic country, adding that the mandate was given to him with some social responsibilities attached to it which he must fulfill within a specific period. “We cannot act like passengers in a car traveling from Accra to Kumasi where the driver drives roughly and no one complains till he gets to Nkawkaw and gets accident and kills everyone on board,” he said. The CPP National Youth Organiser added “we must talk so long as government goes contrary to his campaign promises and social responsibilities towards the people of this country… he has not seen anything yet, Ghanaians will continue to talk the more.” Additionally, Mr Mornah, on Accra-based Oman Fm, said President Mills cannot specify a particular period after which Ghanaians must subject his governance to scrutiny. He said Ghanaians have the right to comment on the Mills-led administration actions from the day one they gave President Mills the mandate until he finishes his term of office. However, the Office of the President had earlier on reacted to media publications that President John Atta Mills had scolded Ghanaians for complaining about the living standards in the country. Mr. Mahama Ayariga, Presidential Spokesperson addressing a press conference at the Castle, Osu said, “the publication that president Mills was angry with the complaints by Ghanaians, and could not take criticisms is not true”. He said “President Mills never said Ghanaians were complaining too much; neither did he express anger at Ghanaians were complaining too much; neither did he express anger at Ghanaians during last week’s tour of the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions as reported in a section of the Ghanaian media. “None of these reports in the newspapers are true. We want to set the records straight,” Mr Ayariga said. He said President Mills was not arrogant as portrayed by the publication and dared critics to obtain copies of the voice and video recordings of the tour and prove where he showed signs of arrogance. However, Mr. Ayariga pointed out that Government had been faced with challenges and it was “unfair to match achievements of a 10-month old government operating within a period of financial crisis to that of eight years of the past Kufuor Administration when the situation was far better than now”.

Source: The Ghanaian Observer