Host of Abranaa So on TV XYZ, Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah
Host of Abranaa So on TV XYZ, Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah, has urged Ghanaians who are not enthused with the governance being witnessed in the country to join the #FixTheCountry demonstration tomorrow.
Speaking on Inside Politics on Power FM, the vociferous broadcaster described the Akufo-Addo administration as a failure. He based his argument on the fact that the government has not been able to deliver on its numerous promises to Ghanaians.
Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah who was joined by Onua TV broadcaster Captain Smart on Inside Politics lambasted the government for being intolerant, saying the street protest is to get the government to put Ghanaians first at all times and put the country’s resources to good use.
“If you don’t have a red shirt, you can wear anything and join us to protest,” he told Mugabe Maase on Inside Politics.
Thousands of social media users in Ghana are responding to the hashtag #FixTheCountry to pile pressure on the government to improve the lives of citizens.
Among the new movement’s demands are more jobs, no corruption, fewer taxes, and better education, which has triggered the protest on Wednesday, August 4, 2021.
Background
Over the last three months, what started as an online protest about broken systems within the Ghanaian economy gained grounds in national and international discourse, with many young people jumping on hashtags, demanding better governance from the Akufo-Addo-led administration.
The conveners of the protests have cited issues such as bad infrastructure, healthcare gaps, high standards of living, and high youth unemployment as some key concerns they demand addressed by the government within the shortest time possible.
Although the campaign has enjoyed remarkable success on social media, attempts to hold a physical protest and to present a formal petition to the government hit the rocks, as the planned protest was prohibited by lawsuits that stalled the protest from seeing the light of day.
The Verdict
The Accra High Court, however, struck out an application by the police seeking to stop the demonstration by the #FixTheCountry movement, paving way for the demonstration on Wednesday.
In a ruling in June, the court presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey, struck out the application on the basis that the date for the protest (May 9) had already passed so there was no protest to be stopped.
“I’m of the opinion that the planned demonstration is passed and therefore the application is moot,” she ruled.
She, however, stated that in the event the #FixTheCountry protestors wanted to embark on a new protest, they must go through all the laid down procedures including the one relating to the restrictions on public gathering.
Coveners have said they are ready for the march on Founders’ Day.