Thousands join AFAG Demo

Thousands of people yersterday joined the Alliance For Accountable Governance (AFAG), a pressure group, to embark on a demonstration against what they described as "the worsening economic situation in the country".The demonstration was also to protest against governments "harassment and intimidation of its opponents."The group said since the return of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to power, " the administration had been complaining all the time whiles the economic condition of the people kept deteriorating." The demonstrators, who started gathering at the Holy Gardens, Kwame Nkrumah Circle, around 0800 hours, finally took off at about 09.20 hours under heavy Police escort.The protesters marched through the Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, the Farisco traffic lights area, Tudu, TUC, the National Theatre traffic light area then to the Ministry's Police station and ended at the Hearts Park, near the Art Centre.The marchers, most of whom wore red T-shirts, arm bands and headgears, carried placards with inscriptions, which included: "No employment for two years, why", "Our children need jobs not pampers", and "stop the 1.5 billion cedis for tea and chichinga".The protesters chanted war songs accompanied by brass band music and spinning groups mounted at the back of trucks.Some notable officials of AFAG at the gathering included Mr Titus Nii Glover, Mr Yeboah Odame, Mr Henry Asante, Mr Kwabena Bonfeh a.k.a Kabila and Mr Kweku Kwarteng.Some former government officials including Mr Asamoah Boateng, Nii Bi-Ayibonte, Mr Dan Botwe and Dr Anthony Akoto Osei also took part in the demonstration.Mr Kwabena Bonfeh, who is also the National Youth Organiser of the Convention People's Party (CPP) speaking at the gathering said, "despite the intimidation by the government, Ghanaians poured out in their numbers to join the protest."He said "for far too long Ghanaians had been taken for granted, adding that, this time round it must not be allowed to happen." He said the freeze on public sector employment, as a result of International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditionality, was a sad spectacle for Ghana.Mr Bonfeh also slammed the government for the way it handled the case of Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak, former Youth and Sports Minister, whiles "the whistle blowers were suffering indictment." Nii Kwatelai Glover, a member of AFAG said the fishing communities had suffered greatly since the NDC came to power because of "the incompetence in the management of the premix fuel".
Source:GNA