Opinion: There will be consequences for the government if...

Mubarak: President Mills is a disastrous leader The main opposition party is reviling in the irony that youths in the ruling National Democratic Congress, NDC have turned their guns on the government. You can't blame them, that's a mark of their indifference. Citizens of Ghana have a patriotic duty to stage protests on any issue. And that was just what some members of the National Democratic Congress in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa constituency in the Central region did. They staged a non violent protest - Civil disobedience is permissible under our laws. The police have a right to constrain individual freedom when it threatens to do harm to others. Unfortunately, the police picked up the wrong people. They arrested four of the leading protestors. It would be interesting to see what charges they proffer against them. But there would be serious consequences for government if the Deputy Constituency organiser of the National Democratic Congress in Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa and three others are processed for court. If government does not listen to what the youth of the National Democratic Congress think is wrong with them, they (the young men and women of the party) won’t listen to government when government tells them what is wrong with them. Current events in government are a huge disappointment for many who had hoped for a better Ghana under President Mills. The electoral victory of 2008/9 was an opportunity to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves; to give hope to the youths who were let down by the NPP. President Mills made huge mistakes by ignoring some persons who could have helped him bring succour quickly. He has recently alienated his constituency and that is quite a shoot from the hip. The youth in the NDC feel the ladder of opportunity has been kicked away by their own government and many feel it has become hard to make a way up under the Mills government. If the NDC allows the growing deluge to continue, it would get a sound beating from the opposition in the next election. The only way to avert this impending calamity on the nation (If NPP won 2012) is to have a candidate in 2012 who can answer the problems of all Ghanaians. The spates of peaceful and violent protests against the government by youths of the NDC are a verdict on Prof. Mills' failures. His reputation as an honest man is not in doubt. Even his most virulent critics know that he is a man of integrity, but he is a disastrous leader. The stakes are high. Ghana can lead the way on economic prosperity in Africa. We have the innovators, the engineers and enthusiasm. What the people of Ghana need is leadership; not the type that was characterised by erosion of responsibility under Mr. Kufuor or the "slow but sure" leadership by President Mills. Moving slowly is incompatible with our reputation as a party that gets things done, it is unworthy of the NDC. Despite the disappointing showing from President Mills, it would be quite drivel to argue that, he hasn't achieved anything in nearly two years. Unlike his predecessor, John Kufuor, John Mills has done a remarkable job in eschewing greed and his policy on agriculture is encouraging. He deserves praise on a number of things which are positive. I am pleased that he is the President and certainly a better one than the alternative we were given by the New Patriotic Party in the last Presidential election. However we have to judge the achievement and failures of Prof. Mills based on the magnitude of the challenges he inherited and how he's responded to those challenges. If Malaysia and other nations that hitherto were less developed than Ghana many years ago can rise after years of sustained conflict and natural disasters to make advancement in technology, why can't we? Are they or any other race/country in the world better thinkers than we are? The NDC has an obligation to give the nation a bold leader. The transgressions of the opposition New Patriotic Party are still fresh on the minds of Ghanaians, but the prospects of anyone from that party becoming president in 2012 is no joke. Ghana would be damned if the NPP regained power. The concept of "property owning democracy" they copied from Mrs. Thatcher did not create any investment in the future. And that is why they were booted out. Their "property owning democracy" created hotels and plush homes for Mr. Kufuor and his henchmen. But it is dead duck if President Mills led the NDC into the 2012 contest. He no longer has the grassroots support and certainly unpopular with young voters. In the eyes of the youth of NDC, President Mills has failed to rise to the occasion. He would not have the support of many members of the party across the country. There are irrefutable reasons why he cannot lead the NDC into victory in 2012. I would keep some of the reasons to myself for the sake of my reverence for the President. The NDC needs a candidate who when elected President in 2012 can give hope to all Ghanaians, someone who can reconnect with lost constituencies in the NDC. Someone who is the best candidate for the main political parties and a unifier. Our country deserves a President who can "think anew the theory for a 21st century social democracy" and get things done whilst the sun is still up. Prof. Mills' government has failed to exploit its early opportunities and carry the nation along. The government has alienated public support and there is a sense of unease even among Prof. Mills' uncritical supporters. Government has been shooting from the hip on a number of issues. In spite of getting interest rate down, Prof Mills has not been able to turn round the Ghanaian economy. Health Insurance is in trouble and he has been weak on national security. We are still far from being able to finance our development and have turned to the IMF/World Bank for the same bail outs and wrongheaded guidelines that haven't brought us much since independence. Ghanaians are still paying high taxes in return for inefficient social services. There is danger in doing little or moving slowly to solve the nation's problems. The NDC as a party has to begin to look for successor who can save the nation. Our time is today. Credit: Ras Mubarak mmubarak79@yahoo.com