The pro-government newspaper, the Independent, has taken it upon itself to discourage the people of Ghana from coming out in their numbers to join the Yewuo Demonstration being organised by the CJA.

The newspaper is, as is its right to do, using its editorial column to tell the people of Ghana that there is absolutely no need for any demonstration to draw government’s attention to the unbearable living conditions that the poor people of Ghana are enduring.

Though the paper correctly noted that in Ghana, increase in fuel prices, particularly petrol and diesel, necessarily leads to escalating of prices of goods and services, it (Independent) contends that there is absolutely nothing that the government of the day can do about the situation because US President, George W. Bush’s warmongering antics in the Middle East is responsible for increase in crude oil prices worldwide.

The paper therefore advised the CJA, and by extension all suffering Ghanaians to do two things; go on their knees and pray and/or go and get Bush to stop his warmongering in the Middle East.

The Weekly Standard has absolutely no problem whatsoever with the view of the Independent. We believe that they have every right to hold their view and to express it as strongly and forcefully as they can.

But, just as the Independent is expressing the view that the Kufuor-led NPP government has absolutely nothing to do about the difficulties that Ghanaians are enduring, some Ghanaians, some of whom are officials of the ruling party, think otherwise.

The following is a GNA report about NPP activists complaining about high cost of living and asking the government to do something about it. “A group of supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on the government to take immediate measures to arrest the present escalating cost of living in the country.

The group, led by Mr Felix Nyarko-Antwi, Mfantseman West constituency Vice-Chairman and Mr Kow Sly Abban, Mankessim Edumadze Junior High School polling station Chairman, urged the government to investigate why cost of basic commodities including food supplies had shot up in recent times. For example, the group said a tin of sardine was being sold between 65Gp to Gp90, a tin of milk at Gp60, a cake of geisha soap at Gp60 and a bar of key (pale) soap at GH=A21.60.

It described the prices as too high for the ordinary citizens to bear. "Rome was not built in a day", Mr Nyarko-Antwi said, and appealed to the government to initiate policies to make cost of living bearable. He pleaded with the government to rescind its decision to impose tax on mobile phone airtime, saying it might further lead to hardship on the people. Mr Nyarko-Antwi said the Danquah-Busia tradition stayed in the opposition for 30 years before coming to power therefore anything, which could send the NPP back to opposition must be avoided.

Mr Abban called on the Party not to see the group as traitors adding that it was better for members to let the government to know the realities on the ground than wait for their opponents to say so. "The people are really complaining about how to make ends meet." He also described as worrying to the party what he termed the lavish spending of its presidential aspirants on their campaigns.”

This report speaks for itself. No amount of spinning would take the minds of the people away from their sufferings.

Come December 11th, the people of Ghana would no doubt pour out on the streets of Accra to participate in the Yewuo Demonstration so as to reinforce the message that the NPP activists in the above story are sending to their own very insensitive and inhumane government.

None should be discouraged. Let us all march to tell Kufuor and the NPP that “Yewuo!!!”