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Subject: OPEN LETTER TO NDC DELEGATES My fellow Akatamansonians, You were magnificent in getting the National Democratic Congress re-elected into office in the last general election. When we took over, we had difficulties. Many Ghanaians had high hopes when Prof. J.E.A. MIlls became President. They had hopes that we will see a fresh sense of opportunity; hopes that Mills will do things differently from the government he took over from. Many people including members of our party feel let down by the president. People felt we could build a stronger economy and a fairer society. They felt Mills' government will protect the rights of unionized workers, preserve the environment, strictly enforce laws protecting Ghanaians with disabilities, reduce our budget deficit and provide greater opportunities to small businesses. We can all see that has not happened yet or is ever going to happen as long as Mills remains in charge. He doesn't have it in him to make the changes and difference the county needs. He says he is not in a hurry to do what the base of the NDC and the rest of the country want. And whilst the rest of the world are running at astronomical pace, Ghana should slowly crawl to the promise land. Our country needs big changes and bold decisions required to improve on the lives of Ghanaians. Nana Konadu Agyeman- Rawlings is not accusing Mills of not caring about education or poverty. He certainly has good intentions but he simply cannot deliver. She is contesting because she has it in here to lift the weak and build the peace. Speaking of peace,we have people in government, including Haruna Iddrisu, Omane Boamah and Samuel Ablakwa, (the couch potato who until his appointment never held a job but could afford a fish pond built at the cost of $20,000USD for his step father in just one year of the government being in office. This fish pond was built at a time government had frozen salaries of senior polical appointees and no one has questioned how or where the deputy minister got the money from) make claims to the effect that the most successful leader of our country and founder of our party is nobody. The chicanery of some members of our president's government pales in comparison to those in the former regime. It is not surprising that it has emerged that "team Mills" has set aside millions of dollars to fight for his re-election bid. The crisis in the party is a painful reflection of the President Mills' inability to deliver. Fortunately, we have Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings. She is going to be different because she will be bold and brave enough to do the difficult but vital things which the President has ducked. Contesting Mills for the leadership of our party is risky, but there is an equal risk of not contesting him. It is also encouraging that Mr. Spio Garbrah threw his hat in the ring. In a democracy, it is not only permissible to question the President, it is the responsibility of the citizens. And I applaud him for his decision. At a time when the future of the party is at stake, the president is ducking and rewarding people who have become part of the problem in the party. Is it any wonder that the people who can insult Jerry Rawlings the most are integral members of the President's campaign team? His campaign team is made up of people who are notorious for hating the founder of the NDC and the most successful leader in Ghana's history, Jerry Rawlings. The easiest way to earn President Mills' trust and confidence is to be a Jerry Rawlings "hater". You dont even have to be an NDC member. Just be contemptious of the Rawlings' and you are guaranteed a secure position. I am against the President as leader of our party and country again becasue if he was an NPP leader, members of the NDC would have been against him too. Productivity is low, industrial production is going down. The only thing is going up are prices, unemployment, taxes and the size of government. There is no candidate in the NDC who could secure the base of the party than Nana Konadu Agyeman- Rawlings. She is the last chance to get it right, to prove that government can make the positive difference. Her election as a leader will usher in a new sense of possibility at things that were thought to be impossible to achieve in Ghana. She will invest more in research and devolopment. She wants Ghana to be a leading hub for higher education in Africa. And she is promising a new path for the party and country. If she wins, it will be a win for all the country. If she loses, Ghana loses. Fellow Akamansonians, you must ask yourselves why only those who support the president's bid are better off now than just two months ago, when the contest hadn't been declared yet. President Mills is a risk to the country. He has almost destroyed the party he inherited in one piece. He will destroy this country if he continues. Our chance is to stop him now. On you depend the fortunes of the NDC and Ghana. You are to decide the important question on which rests the progress, happiness and unity of our party and country. You are to decide the happiness and liberty of millions yet unborn. If you do the wrong thing, you betray the memory of those who have given so much. It is your right and responsibility to determine who leads our party. You are the king makers. Act worthy of yourself. I will continue to be a member of the NDC but will not support a leadership that is devoid of purpose and substance. Signed: Ras Mubarak