Economist and brother of the late President John Evans Atta Mills, Cadman Atta Mills, has criticised his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), insisting that loyalty cannot mean silence in the face of bad policies.

In a strongly worded post on X (formerly Twitter) on September 22, he dismissed claims that criticising one’s party equates to disloyalty.

“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.

YOU ARE NOT "DISLOYAL" BECAUSE YOU CRITICIZE YOUR POLITICAL PARTY'S POLICIES AND SOMETIMES WITH PASSION. A POLITICAL PARTY IS NOT (AND SHOULD NOT BE) A MONOLITH. IN SPEAKING AGAINST YOUR PARTY'S POLICIES, YOU ENCOURAGE DEBATE AND INCREASE THE CHANCES OF BETTER POLICIES BEING…

— Cadman Atta Mills (@CadmanAttaMills) September 22, 2025

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

Mr. Mills, who has been outspoken about the dangers of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, doubled down on his refusal to stay quiet on the issue.

I REFUSE TO PAY FOR THE ACCOLADES PRESIDENT MAHAMA AND THE NDC IS RECEIVING FOR THE CEDI'S RECOVERY WITH MY HEALTH OR LIFE.
Call it Galamsey or "legal" small scale mining (when bankrolled by the politically connected). It is killing us. #StopGalamseyNow pic.twitter.com/jqdY9HE9z0

— Cadman Atta Mills (@CadmanAttaMills) September 14, 2025

“I refuse to be silenced on galamsey (on other policies), because of: (1) the patently false claim that I was silent on the misdeeds of the previous government in mining (I wrote volumes) or (2) that as a ‘party elder’ I should not publicly express my disagreements with my party’s policies,” he stated.

On September 14, he had already criticised the NDC government’s handling of galamsey, warning that the short-term recovery of the cedi cannot justify the devastating human and environmental costs.

Read also: Cadman Mills: I won’t trade my life for Mahama’s praises; galamsey devastating communities

“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 declared.

Making a sharp distinction about his role in the NDC, Mr Mills rejected labels meant to box him into silence.

“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.

Mr. Mills’ remarks are expected to stir debate within the NDC, where his insistence on open critique challenges the culture of enforced loyalty.