Protest march in Accra…No violence recorded
Big demo in Accra
Armageddon that never was!..’Yabre’ demo comes off peacefully
Opposition demo flops…With only 1,500 protestors
‘Yabre Mo’…Opposition parties shake Accra
Protest march in Accra…No violence recorded
The demonstration in Accra yesterday by five Opposition parties over the economic situation in Ghana, is the subject of the top story of the Daily Graphic and other major newspapers.
The Graphic reports that hundreds of protestors, mainly from the five Minority parties, yesterday embarked on a three-hour peaceful march in Accra to register their dissatisfaction with certain government policies.
The paper says the placard-bearing demonstrators, who sang and danced amidst brass band music, comprised leaders and supporters of the NPP, the National Reform Party (NRP), United Ghana Movement (UGM), Convention Party (CP) and People’s National Convention (PNC).
Mr J.A. Kufuor, NPP flagbearer, Mr Goozie Tanoh, spokesman of the NRP, and Dr Edward Mahama, leader of the PNC, led them.
The rest were Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, presidential candidate of the UGM, Mr Felix Amoah, interim chairman of the CP.
The paper says the demonstration dubbed: "Ya bre mo" (we are fed up with you), was aimed among other things, at exposing what they described as the ‘mismanagement of the economy’ on the part of the government, corruption in high places, unemployment and the high cost of living.
According to the Graphic, as early as 6.45 a.m. the demonstrators, some of whom wore red bands around their hands and heads, began converging on the premises of Barnetts Furniture showroom near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
They are said to have begun their march at exactly 9.15 a.m. after their leaders had cautioned them against any violent act that could provoke the police to interfere in the demonstration.
The demonstrators marched through Ring Road West, Asylum Down Roundabout, the Holy Spirit Cathedral and stopped briefly at the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board.
They then proceeded through the Liberia Road, down the National Theatre to the Ministries. According to the Graphic, at the Ministries, work virtually came to a standstill as the workers came out of their offices to catch a glimpse of the demonstrators.
The demonstrators, the paper says, finally assembled behind the Osu stand of the Accra Sports Stadium, while their leaders briefly proceeded to Parliament to present a petition to the Speaker The leaders later addressed their supporters.
Throughout the march the police escorted the demonstrators to ensure peace, concludes the Graphic.
GRi
Big demo in Accra
The Ghanaian Times in its account of the Opposition demonstration, reports that five political parties, yesterday held a massive protest march in Accra, which lasted nearly three hours, to express their concerns about the economic crisis facing Ghana.
The paper says the demonstrators were from the NPP, the Convention Party (CP), People’s National Convention (PNC), Convention Party (CP), United Ghana Movement (UGM) and the National Reform Party (NRP).
The Times says that contrary to fears and apprehensions by a cross-section of the public earlier, the demonstration started and ended peacefully.
The paper says the crowd, made up of members of the Opposition parties, was well-behaved and confined themselves within the police demarcated route, thus posing no problem to the law enforcement personnel detailed along the route
The Times says a loud speaker mounted on a van, constantly blared a message from the organisers, appealing to the demonstrators not to misconduct themselves or they would be handed over to the police.
The paper says the leadership of the five Minority parties, had earlier met at the NPP national headquarters at Kokomlemle, from where they went on foot to meet the teeming crowd at the agreed point, Barnetts near the Circle Overhead Bridge.
According to the Times some of the placards carried by the demonstrators read: "O God! help Ghanaians", "No higher health user fee", "Ya bre", Ghanafo, yen nnsuro", NDC enough is enough" and "We are hungry". The paper says the Opposition Members of Parliament were not left out.
It says Nana Akufo Addo MP for Abuakwa, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, MP for Afigya Sekyere West, Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor, MP for Manhyia, Mrs Gladys Asmah, MP for Takoradi and Ms Christine Churcher, MP for Cape Coast, and many others were there.
GRi../
Armageddon that never was!..’Yabre’ demo comes off peacefully
The Ghanaian Chronicle also chose the Opposition demonstration as its lead story and says that the Armageddon that had been predicted by the ruling NDC to fall on Accra yesterday with the demonstration by the Joint Action Committee of the Opposition political parties, failed to materialised.
The Chronicle says that as a result, the unusually large number of policemen deployed and psyched to ruthlessly deal with the demonstrators should they turn violent, had nothing to do but remain silent spectators.
The paper says that no bullet, a canister or teargas, was fired and the water cannons stationed strategically to spray hot water on the demonstrators, were never put into action.
The Chronicle says the demonstrators led by the leaders of the NPP the Convention Party (CP), United Ghana Movement (UGM), People’s National Convention (PNC) and the National Reform Party (NRP), broke off peacefully after being told they had put the NDC to shame by refusing to be intimidated.
GRi../
Opposition demo flops…With only 1,500 protestors
The Ghana Palaver in a contrary view about yesterday demonstration by five Opposition political parties, says that the over-hyped and stage-managed media blitz of an expected big Opposition demonstration, turned out to be a fiasco as Ghanaians in their good judgement, shunned the much-touted event.
The paper says that contrary to the belief that the NDC was going to disrupt the demonstration, members of the party exhibited a high sense of maturity and respect for the Constitution and the rule of law, by allowing the event to go without interference.
According to the Palaver, only pockets of opposition faithfuls were seen on the streets dancing to brass band music. The paper says the turn out was so poor that a foreign correspondent, who was around to cover the event, had to attribute the low turn out to intensive and extensive NDC propaganda.
"In fact, our scout said at certain stages of the demonstration the policemen escorting the marchers appeared to outnumber the real actors", says the Palaver.
The paper says some by-standers its scouts spoke to maintained that the Opposition had no case and that if they wanted power they should go to the grassroots to convince the electorate instead of dissipating their energies on frivolous matters in Accra.
GRi./
‘Yabre Mo’…Opposition parties shake Accra
Writing on the Opposition demonstration in Accra yesterday, the Weekend Statesman in a lead story, says that thousands of people from all walks of life yesterday joined the historic protest march by five Opposition parties, dubbed "Yabre Mo", through certain principal streets of Accra.
The paper says that the fact that the demonstration took place was itself a tribute to the perseverance of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), under which the Opposition operated, in the face of intimidation and inflammatory statements and moves by officials of the ruling government.
The Weekend Statesman says that the leadership of the NDC, after failing to get the JAC to rescind its decision to demonstrate, resorted to fabrication, lies subterfuge and ‘sabre-rattling’ in the hop of scaring people off the streets n solidarity with the organisers.
GRi../