CJA – TAMALE GOES AHEAD WITH ‘BIKURITI’ DEMONSTRATION

Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, the Tamale Police force is courting trouble in an otherwise seamless situation. The CJA shall go ahead with the demonstration on Saturday, January 12, 2008. We are demanding that the Ghana Police adheres to its constitutional duty. Ghanaians are sick and tired of a police force that has elected to act as the ‘emperors army’ ever since the President Kufuor led NPP administration took over the governance of this great nation.

The CJA gave the police written notice on December 20, 2007. According to the Public order law, we were only expected to inform the latter five days before the event. The Police subsequently invited us to at least two meetings they characterized as ‘friendly’. The meetings were held at the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) office and the Regional Crime Office. We took serious exception to the venues; because we are not criminals. We wish to state that it was not unexpected. We saw the long hand of ‘emperor’ President J.A Kufuor and his National Security at play. They did it with insulting arrogance!

Nonetheless, we cooperated and both agreed on the modalities and route for the ‘Bikuriti’ (‘Yee Wuo’) demonstration until their sudden u-turn with a letter dated 8th January 2008 asking for a postponement.

The claim by the police that they do not have enough men for the protest in Tamale smacks of hypocrisy and double standards when only two days ago this same police force was able to offer heavy police protection for the NPP Flagbearer- Nana Akufo-Addo when he and his supporters stormed Tamale even without adequate official notice to the Police.

The position of the Police is again untenable, considering the fact that they were able to marshal over two thousand five hundred (2500) personnel for two thousand three hundred (2300) delegates at the NPP congress on December 22, 2007.

The objective of this demonstration is to draw the NPP government’s attention to the ever increasing needless hardships its senseless economic and social policies has inflicted and continues to inflict upon us since 2001. It is also to establish the right linkages between bad governance and its harmful effects on the governed.

The demonstration shall also serve as an advisory event to all the Presidential aspirants and their respective political parties to live up to their promises if they happen to win the mandate of the people; come election 2008.

We have embarked on an extensive community-to-community outreach to deepen citizenry appreciation of the issues informing the demonstration. The people of Vitting, Sakasaka, Nyohini, Lamasheegu, Nalung, Sabonjida, Kukuo and others are:

• Wide awake, perfectly understand and detest the harsh policies of the NPP government.

• They strongly indicated their participation in the ‘bikuriti’demonstration on January 12, 2008.

There are several issues brewing the ‘Bikuriti’ demonstration:

The murder of the King of the Dagbon,Ya Na Yakubu Andani and his elders, the murder of Alhaji Issah Mobila the Northern Regional Chairman of the CPP during the 2004 general elections in Military guardroom, high cost of living which is fast filling the streets of Tamale with beggars even as officials of the NPP continues to exhibit vulgar opulence and waste, high fuel price, high water and electricity tariffs, astronomical increases in school fees, the residual effects of the over a year long energy crisis, the mortgaging of retail trade to foreigners as raised by the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), the intended take over of Agricultural Development Bank by Stanbic Bank, the massive looting of the public purse, as made clear at the public accounts committee, the increasing narcotic offences with its associated complicity on the part of officialdom, the detention of mothers and newly born babies in our hospitals and maternity homes, and the Anlo chieftaincy dispute. Indeed the list is endless.

It is our expectation that the exploitative NPP government acts intelligently, Knowledgeably and above all responsibly to the issues being raised by the people of Tamale.

Saturday January 12, 2008 is only a continuation of the people’s struggle to demand responsible and accountable governance from our governments. The struggle shall continue in the months and years ahead until Ghanaians are reciprocated with what is dignifying by Ghanaian governments.

CJA – Tamale has gotten to the point of no return! To the Police we say come again!

We are inviting our numerous supporters to pour out in solidarity and in anger to protest the misrule of the NPP government.

Thank you very much Ladies and Gentlemen of the press.

Issued by the CJA Tamale Branch on January 10, 2008 and read by Basharu Alhassan Daballi (CPP Northern Regional Organizer)