My young appointees didn’t cause my defeat – Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama has defended his appointment of younger people in his administration, calling the bluff of his critics.

The former President has been criticized for appointing persons some have described as too young, who were insolent, and also lacked experience to steer the affairs of his government.

But addressing former appointees of his administration few weeks ago, Mr. Mahama said his critics might just be haters of his appointees.

“…Just say I don't like the people, not that they are young because all those people you are referring to are above 40 years. How can you call a 40-year old man with a wife and children, a young man surrounding the President? I cannot understand,” he said.

According to the former President, he was below 40 years when he became a Deputy Minister yet he performed well, adding that efficiency is what is needed and not the age factor.

“When I became deputy Minister to my brother, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, I was 39 years old. Yes, we were young, but we served and served properly. I'm sure Spio was around 40 years at the time. We can't say he was a small boy. In the evolutionary period, all those who surrounded President Rawlings were in their twenties and thirties. So it's not about age. Our party has always given opportunity to young people that are what we are, so if we lose we cannot blame young people for our loss. And the point is that, the demographic of Ghana is shifting in favour of young people, 35 and below makes up 60% of our population. So if you want to appoint officials, where are you going to get them from,” he quizzed.

Don't be ashamed; we did well
Despite the painful defeat in the 2016 general elections, Mr. Mahama believes the NDC effectively delivered its mandate while in office.

John Mahama asked the former appointees to hold themselves high in light of what he calls the “monumental achievements” that the party chalked while in power.

“In the monumental achievements that we chalked, I believe that you must hold your heads high because that government did a lot for this country, and I believe that posterity will be the judge eventually. We did a lot to improve the infrastructure of the country, and often infrastructure is a thing people take for granted. It is possible to be in the opposition and criticize. We should not feel depressed or feel ashamed about our service in government. It was outstanding. We must continue to defend the legacy of that government,” he added.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin