Deputy Minister for Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Mark Okraku-Mantey, has challenged critics to reconsider their expectations of deputy ministers, using former President John Dramani Mahama’s tenure as Vice President as an example.
Addressing concerns about his performance in office on the Daybreak Hitz show, Okraku-Mantey said, “I hear people say I am the worst deputy minister ever at the ministry… I see people are using emotions to speak. As a law student, I speak with law now. I quote, that’s why I want things checked.”
He elaborated on the limitations of a deputy minister’s role, emphasizing their supportive position to the substantive minister.
“The deputy minister’s role is someone who goes there to support the main minister,” he explained.
Drawing a parallel, Okraku-Mantey challenged the opposition party to evaluate Mahama’s tenure as Vice President.
“That is why I said what Vice President Dr Bawumia is saying, people shouldn’t underrate it, even the NDC people know. When Mahama was Vice President, he should show us what he did,” he asserted.
Nonetheless, Mr Okraku-Mantey defended his own contributions, stating that his achievements could only be seen as extensions of his boss’s directives.
“That is why if I am to talk about what I have done, I can only refer to my boss. When I am your boss, you cannot do it without me. They must confirm first; it is not about holding a mic and speaking. There is a chain of control,” he clarified.
He further urged the public to assess the broader achievements of the ministry rather than focus solely on individual performances. “They should be asking about what the ministry has done, not a personal way,” he added.
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