PRESS STATEMENT BY THE YOUTH FOR LEADERSHIP IN GHANA ON PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEES-10TH FEB. 2009

The Youth for Leadership in Ghana, a progressive rainbow youth group with an avowed mission to uphold and perpetuate the enduring legacies of the former president and founder of the ruling NDC Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings whish to make a number of observations stemming from the ministerial nominations so far named by his Excellency president Mills to form his government.

First of all, we wish to commend president Mills for living to his promise of making the Youth and women involvement seminal in his government. He indeed, even with a lean government, has made the best mix with the material of people in his government. The youth front has been well represented with young ministers of communications, youth and sports as well as information designated. Women representation has also been widely acclaimed in his government.

It is however regrettable to note that many opponents of the Mills administration are bent on discrediting and underestimating the positive impact likely to be made by these younger generation ministers on our growing democracy. Rather than looking at what these younger people will bring on board, these critics claim inexperience as the only reason they do not have hope in these young ministers. Others have also found it prudent to peddle half truths or even untruths regarding issues bordering on integrity, honesty, fraud and corruption against these nominees.

As a progressive youth group, we have been invigorated by the appointment of Mrs. Zita Okaikoi as minister designate for information and also Hon. Haruna Iddrisu as minister of communications designate. These two represent the face of the youth in government. We can also mention Mahama Ayariga, presidential spokesman and Hon. Muntaka Mubarak, Youth and sports minister designate as yet other examples of youth representation in this new government. It is our desire to see these younger government functionaries excel in their various fields of Endeavour in order that the role of the youth in governance can be asserted and consolidated.

These are people who need the support of all to perform the daunting but laudable and appropriate tasks that has been assigned to them by president Mills. It is NOT progressive to criticize and to malign, and to underrate certain ministerial nominees just based on frivolous claims and unsubstantiated allegations just for the sake of opposing a government. Mrs. Zita Okaikoi for example is a fine and young female lawyer who has organized and excelled in the youth front.. She has the courage and the conviction that many older women and even men, do not have. She has distinguished herself among her peers, thereby catching the eyes of the learned Prof. Mills. We have no iota of doubt that His Excellency president Mills did duly check the backgrounds of these persons before nominating them. What these younger government functionaries have to offer far outwit their weaknesses, and therefore should be allowed to prove their worth. The president has given them this opportunity and the people of Ghana who chose the president should also give them this opportunity.

We in the Youth for Leadership in Ghana will use this opportunity to affirm our enduring support for Younger Ministers such as Zita Okaikoi for information, and indeed, all the ministers designate, and to call on the honorable members of the appointments committee of parliament, all civil society groups, gender advocates, youth movements as well as believers in affirmative action in our young growing democracy to rally around the younger team of this new government of the NDC in order to enable them succeed. We would also call on President Mills to even increase the youth role in his government in the subsequent appointments that are yet to come. We call on the appointments committee of parliament to over look the series of calculated attempts at spreading lies and speculations in an attempt to question the competence of these young leaders of our generation, and give them the nod to prove the capability of the youth in this generation.

Amenga-Etego SaCut

(National Secretary)