Former Deputy Transport Minister Joyce Bawa-Mogtari who served under the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) has criticised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government for not showing much interest in the 5th anniversary of the death of former President John Evans Atta Mills.

At the fifth anniversary ceremony held at the Asomdwee Park, Mrs Bawa-Mogtari told Class91.3FM’s Kwesi Parker-Wilson that she is aware that Senior Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo was given an invitation but could not turn up in person.

“I know that they invited the Senior Minister and unfortunately he sent his apologies and sent somebody else to represent him. I think we can continue to improve upon things.

“This is a man who won an election, a general election and was democratically elected and will expect that we could have come together as a united front irrespective of our ideologies to commemorate this event and I think it could also have given the government some mileage if they had shown more interest but I think all in all it is a great day.

“…I look forward to the day when we can all continue to mourn and commemorate this event without bringing the political parties,” she said.

The former Deputy Minister of Roads said she expects “better in future, especially because I know that Prof Mills was in school at some point with the current president so I would have expected them to at least show some interest in your colleague, your classmate, your colleague at the bar, a lecturer who has taught many of them who are lawyers”.

She continued: “So I think the rancour and all the political issues could have been put aside and would have been nicer if the president were here to recall some of the days when they were students”.