The Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG), one of the most potent pressure groups in Ghana today, has decided to hit the streets to demonstrate against what it calls government�s insensitivity to the plight of the people.
Expressing discontent at government�s stance of deliberately paying deaf ear to the cries of the suffering masses, the group says it would stage a nationwide protest beginning August 4th, 2009, adding that it had already notified the police of its intentions.
The group had wanted to demonstrate on July 2, but was denied the right to do so with the excuse that it would disrupt the US President�s visit to the country, which was then eight days away. The latest intention to hit the streets next two weeks was contained in a press release circulated to the media in Accra yesterday. The press release also indicated that most Ghanaians live in hopelessness, and largely desperate for better living conditions, hence the need for the NDC government to try to fulfil the campaign promises it made ahead of the 2008 general elections.
It stressed further that recent developments and government policies have caused an upward adjustment in school fees and a freeze in public sector employment. �With the public sector being the largest employer against a weak private sector, it is not difficult to ascertain the impact of this highly irresponsible policy position on young graduates and national development,� the press statement added. The last time it went public, AFAG had petitioned President John Mills asking him to revoke the appointment of Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni as the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
The petition, signed by the group�s secretary, Arnold Boateng, stated that the need for the President to fire Mumuni was because of the adverse findings on him by the final forensic audit report which was conducted at the request of the Auditor General.
The group said the issue of Alhaji Mumuni has a real likelihood of being an enormous dent on the government�s track record of accountability and good governance. The anti-corruption and human rights group recently accused the President of unconstitutionality for asking the security services to allow them to demonstrate, after the national security and High Court had cancelled the planned demonstration.
Even though the group had informed the police of its intentions to hit the streets, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice went to court on behalf of the Police and managed to get an ex-parte motion to restrain AFAG from hitting the streets.
Hours after the court order, a statement from the Office of the President ordered that the planned demonstration should go ahead, a development AFAG saw as a breach of law.
Speaking at a news conference yesterday, Godfred Dame, Legal Advisor for AFAG, said �the effect of what the President has done is that he has rendered the exercise of a citizen�s fundamental human rights to his pleasure, fiat or official permission.�It is lamentable that we now live in a country where before a citizen can exercise his right to freedom of assembly enshrined in the 1992 constitution, the clemency or official permission of the President is required before he can do so.�We seriously depreciate the attempt by His Excellency the President to reserve unto himself the prerogative of either approving or disapproving the exercise of a citizen�s fundamental right which is an inalienable right and specifically enshrined in the 1992 Constitution,� Mr. Dame noted.
The 4th August, 2009 demonstration is expected to begin from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra to the Independence Square, where AFAG leadership will address the public. According to observers, the pressure group is embarking on the massive demonstration as a last resort following the failure of government to heed advice from its opponents.
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