Loyalty Is Not Silence on NDC Failures – Cadman Atta Mills Hits Back

Economist Cadman Atta Mills, brother of the late President John Evans Atta Mills, has renewed his criticism of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), declaring that loyalty to a political party should never mean staying quiet in the face of bad governance.

In a strongly worded post on X (formerly Twitter) on September 22, Mills rejected claims that speaking out against his party amounts to betrayal.

“You are not ‘disloyal’ because you criticise your political party’s policies—and sometimes with passion. A political party is not (and should not be) a monolith,” he wrote.

“In speaking against your party’s policies, you encourage debate and increase the chances of better policies being adopted.”

 

 

The outspoken economist, who has consistently raised concerns about the destructive effects of illegal mining (galamsey), said he would not be silenced by accusations of partisanship or misplaced loyalty.

“I refuse to be silenced on galamsey—or on other policies—because of the patently false claim that I was silent on the misdeeds of the previous government, or that as a ‘party elder’ I should not publicly express my disagreements,” he insisted.

Mills previously criticised the NDC government on September 14 over its handling of galamsey, warning that the short-term recovery of the cedi cannot justify the severe human and environmental costs.

“I refuse to pay for the accolades President Mahama and the NDC are receiving for the cedi’s recovery with my health or life,” he stated.

He also dismissed attempts to label him as a party elder whose duty is to remain quiet:

“I am a party member and elderly—very elderly—but I am not ‘a party elder’. Those (muzzled) creatures belong to the party’s Council of Elders,” he fired.

Mills’ remarks are expected to reignite debate within the NDC, challenging what he describes as a culture of enforced loyalty and calling for open, constructive criticism to improve governance.