Ghana�s Leaders Are Sick � Ras Mubarak

A youth activist of the ruling National Democratic Congress has chided his own government�s decision to re-tool the military at the disadvantage of other sectors of the economy, calling on the minority to go up against the loan agreement for the purchase of five military jets. �We don�t need the kind of expenditure that we are making. The opposition should oppose the deal and call for cuts in military expenditure,� the NDC youth activist said. Parliament has approved loan agreements for the purchase of five military jet despite objections from the Minority that one of the jet, Embraer E 190, was simply too expensive - $105,370, 177.09 (with a hanger). They argued the nation could not use such a huge amount to buy one jet when there were pressing social needs confronting its citizens. According to the Minister of Defense, General Joseph Henry Smith (retd), government�s decision to purchase the five new aircraft was because the nation was losing a lot of funds to international bodies such as the UN since the country does not have the resources to take care of all of her security needs. He hinted that two of the aircraft will be used for international and internal assignments. A Deputy Information Minister, Baba Jamal is also been quoted to have said that the jets will aid in effecting the arrest of armed robbers. But Mohammed Mubarak Abdulai alias Ras Mubarak has taken a swipe at both the government and the minority on their stance in the purchase of the jets, saying, �we don�t need the kind of expenses that we are making; buying five military jets at a cost of 250 million dollars�. Speaking in an interview with X-FM 95.1, he stated that purchasing all these aircrafts would not deter armed robbers from carrying out their operations in the country stressing that a reduction in the number of those jets would rather help develop other sectors such as Health and Education. The unrepentant critic of the Mills� administration opined that such borrowing will only �pile up debts for tomorrow�s children�, saying, �it is unsustainable and outrageous�. To him, instead of the minority agreeing to the deal �in principle�, the opposition party should rather �be opposing the deal and be calling for cuts in areas that do not bring about immediate tangible benefits�. According to him the government�s decision to purchase those five military jets should incite the young people of this country to start fighting to be leaders because the country�s leaders have failed. �I think this gives an opportunity to the young people of our country to start fighting to be leaders today because the men who are running our country are sick; they are not really addressing the real issues confronting Ghanaian families,� Ras Mubarak said.