The Deputy Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Omane Boamah, has discounted claims that Communications Minister Haruna Iddrisu insulted former president Rawlings by suggesting that the former president was being unfair to president Mills and his administration with his incessant criticisms. Mr Iddrisu - in reaction to reports that Mr Rawlings had told a delegation of chiefs from the Upper West Region that the Mills administration had dissipated the hope and goodwill that the NDC enjoyed - said the criticism were unjustified and that the problems of unemployment, poverty, disgruntled party foot soldiers which Mr Rawlings raised existed while he was president. For him, while the former president's criticisms were welcome, repeatedly criticizing the president and his government bode no good for Mr Rawlings himself. Unhappy with the Communications Minister's forthrightness, a failed Youth Organiser of the NDC, Mohammed Abdulai Mubarak (alias Ras Mubarak), accused the communications minister of being a hypocrite. A youth group, calling itself ‘Friends of Rawlings’, also called on Mr Iddrisu to apologize to the founder of the party or suffer the consequences. But Mr Omane Boamah believes the charges on Haruna Iddrisu are vexatious and unwarranted. According to him, he listened to last Thursday’s edition of Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme, on which Mr Iddrisu made the comments, and did not hear Mr Iddrisu insult the ex-president. "There was no iota or whisper of insult either to the person of the founder of the great NDC party or to any of the people around him," he said. He expressed surprise that any group could demand an apology from the Communications Minister, saying that “I think that it is uncharitable for the honourable member”. Though party members are supposed to use party channels in addressing their grievances, he said, others who chose to make their criticisms public “should be given the slightest whisper of tolerance.” By: Dorcas Efe Mensah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana