General News of Tuesday, 10 May 2005

Source: GNA

Wahala demo now scheduled for May 26

Kumasi, May 10, GNA - The Committee for Joint Action (CJA) has now agreed to hold its 'Wahala' demonstration in Kumasi on Thursday, May 26 after considering the prohibition order served on them by a Kumasi High Court forbidding them to hold the demonstration on May 5.

The CJA said in accepting the order of the court, they have demonstrated that they respect the law courts and also that the committee was committed to a peaceful demonstration. This was contained in a statement issued in Kumasi on Tuesday and signed by Mr Yaw Doe-Tamakloe, secretary of the local committee of the CJA.

They have accordingly notified the Ashanti Regional Police Command in writing that the demonstration, the fourth in a series, would take place on Thursday, May 26.

The statement expressed the hope that the police would not conjure any reasons at the last minute to demand further postponement of the demonstration.

"We also hope with the postponement, the police will find ample time to make adequate security arrangements for the successful and peaceful conduct of the event", the CJA added. The committee said even though they have accepted postponement of the event, it was still convinced that "the NPP government manipulated the police to seek all means for postponement of the demonstration". "It is now obvious that the NPP government moved to cause the postponement of the Wahala demonstration just to allow surrogates of the government to organise demonstrations in Accra and possibly in other places ahead of a CJA demonstration in Kumasi".

The demonstration was scheduled for May 5 in Kumasi but a Kumasi High Court prohibition order was served on the Committee on May 4.