Thursday, July 24, 2014
So, the nationwide demonstrations
by organized labour and other interest/pressure groups are either over in some
regional capital towns or ongoing in others. Nothing violent has occurred, at
least, from reports.
While the demonstrations were
going on, President Mahama and his Vice (Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur) joined
Ministers of state, hundreds of Ghanaians, wife (Naadu Mills) and family
members of the late President John Evans Atta Mills to mark the second
anniversary of his passing. Former President Rawlings, Parliamentarians as well
as members of the ruling National Democratic Congress were in attendance.
Conspicuously missing were
members of the opposition parties. The short ceremony was climaxed by a wreath
laying ceremony at the Asomdwe Park near the Independence Square in Accra.
Honouring the dead and not caring for the living, someone may ask?
The demonstrations were in
protest at the high cost of living following the worsening economic problems
facing the country. The demonstrators were to present petitions to the
authorities in the ten regional capital towns. What did the demonstrators ask
for?
We can tell from the messages
couched in the placards: “President Mahama do something before we all die”;
“Mun ge gyi” (“We are suffering”); “Middle income country, low income workers”;
“High interest rate is killing Ghanaian industries”; “Wipe off indiscipline and
corruption”; “Suffering in the land of our birth”; "Stop looting, increase
our salaries”; “Is our government suffering from Acquired Intelligence Deficiency
Syndrome?"; and many more.
Here are some undisguised demands
as reported in the news, followed by my personal comments:
• Organised
Labour in Ho have asked President John Dramani Mahama to step down following
the inability of his administration to tackle present economic challenges.
Huh? President Mahama to step
down for whom to take over the administration of the country? Someone in the
government already being accused of incompetence or a new face from within the
governing party? Or a new political organization altogether given the mandate?
By which means? Not until December 2016 when elections are held will such a
demand make sense!! So, this demand is wayward. An irritation that won’t solve
the workers’ existential problems!
• In
Kumasi, the agitators—most of whom are businessmen and women—are discouraged at
government's apparent inability to tackle challenges facing the economy
resulting in their devastating effects on the people. They say they are unable
to keep to their budget as prices of basic items keep increasing almost on
daily basis, making it difficult for them to make savings on their income.
Businessmen and women? I thought
that organized labour (workers on government’s payroll) were to be the
demonstrators. Well, in times like these, anything goes; not so?
• In
Cape Coast, the demonstrators wanted President Mahama to take decisive action
to curb corruption in his administration as well as bring looters of the state
coffers to book. They also criticized the executive for “lacking creative ideas
to govern the country”.
At least, calling for decisive
action to curb corruption and punishing anybody stealing public funds is
laudable. I can’t say so for the part on “lacking creative ideas to govern the
country”; that is, if “creative ideas” even means anything concrete in
political terms. Does the Constitution not guide governance? How about the
NDC’s own manifesto?
Meantime, the NPP MP for
Assin-Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has asked workers across the country to
hoot at the Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Kofi Asamoah,
for calling for a nationwide demonstration against the government.
Speaking on Adom FM/Asempa FM’s “Burning
Issues” with Afia Pokua, Ken Agyapong said the TUC boss has no moral right to
lead a nationwide demonstration. Here are some scathing comments he made about
Kofi Asamoah:
• Kofi
Asamoah is a corrupt person and does not have proper standing and integrity to
lead a demonstration. He said that the TUC Boss was a member of the SSNIT
Board, which signed the sale of Merchant Bank to Fortiz, and he must rather
apologize to Ghanaians.
• “Kofi
Asamoah is part of the problems in the country and must be beaten by workers
when he appears at the demonstration grounds”.
• He
described Kofi Asamoah as a disgrace to Ghanaian workers, saying “he has been
at the forefront of most corrupt practices in the country.”
• He
described Kofi Asamoah as a “hypocrite” and an “intellectually dishonest
person” who has sold his conscience.
Ken Agyapong, therefore called on
workers to boycott the demonstration in protest against Kofi Asamoah. “Workers
should not take Kofi Asamoah serious. He is selfish, corrupt and has not got
the welfare of workers in the country at heart. He is in bed with the
government and thinks he can fool Ghanaians,” Agyapong alleged.
(See:
http://www.myjoyonline.com/politics/2014/July-24th/hoot-at-kofi-asamoah-kennedy-agyapong.php)
Well, folks, this is where we
are. The TUC leader condemned the government and called for this demonstration
only for him to be taken to the cleaners this way. When pots begin calling
kettles black, we (the observers) have a lot to cheer about. Cheers, then…
Hip---hip---hip: Hurray!!!!
I shall return…
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