Massive Yewu Demo
Rocks Accra – Ho, Tamale, Kumasi, Takoradi, Cape Coast, Others To Follow

Ghanaians from all walks of life literally poured out on the streets of Accra last week to protest the unbearable living conditions pertaining in the country, and to send a resounding message to the Kufuor-led NPP government to re-examine its policies with a view to making life a little more bearable for the good people of Ghana.

At the end of the demonstration, there was no doubt about the message that the people of Ghana were sending to the government, as the sheer numbers of the demonstrators by itself demonstrated that people are really feeling the suffering in the land.

As the demonstration progressed from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle through the Kojo Thompson road, people came out of their houses to join the demonstration, some shop owners closed their shops and joined the ranks of the demonstrators, and some taxi drivers abandoned work for the day and joined the demonstration.

One shop owner, who this reporter personally saw close her shop to join the demonstration told this reporter, when she was asked why she closed her shop to join the demonstration that, “I believe that I must add my voice to the message that this demonstration is intended to send to the government. We are suffering too much. Look, I open my shop from 8am to about 5pm everyday, and sometimes nobody even passes through to even ask of the price of anything, yet at the end of the month I have to find money to pay my bills.”

“These days, the utility bills alone can to put us out of business. But when the problems presented by the high utility tariffs are also compounded by huge increment in fuel prices, including even LPG and Kerosene, the total effect is that absolutely nothing is happening. Those who are surviving are the small table-top traders who do not have to pay the high rents that some of us have to pay for our shops and stores, as well as the high utility tariffs that we are compelled to pay,” lamented the lady shop owner, who gave her name simply as Shirley.

A man who gave his name as Kweitsuru, and said that he is a taxi driver, told this reporter that he joined the demonstration because he believes that President Kufuor is not being told the truth by those around him.

“My brother, I am totally convinced that President Kufuor has lost touch with we, the ordinary people of the land, and so he is not being told the truth about how his policies are killing us,” Kweitsuru stated.

“I am convinced of this,” he explained, “because this was a man who told us at the time the international price of crude oil was around thirty dollars that selling petrol at ¢6,400.00 (or G¢0.64p) was, to use his own words “criminal”. So, now that the international price of crude oil is around one hundred dollars, if his government wants to sell it at “criminal” levels at all the price should not be more than ¢25,000.00 (or G¢2.5p). But that is not the case, petrol is now being sold at almost ¢50,000.00 (or G¢5.00). This is worse than criminal!!”

“I believe that Mr. Kufuor would not want to be referred to as “criminal”, that is why I believe that if he really knew what is going on he would have acted to intervene. I sincerely hope that he would hear the very loud message we are sending out today and act like the Executive President that he is to make life more bearable for us. These days, we are forced to charge fares that many people are unable to meet,” Kweitsuru prayed.

“Take for instance, a worker travelling by taxi from Circle to Dansoman has to pay a fare of ¢8,000.00 (or G¢0.8p) per trip. Note that this is not ‘dropping’ or ‘charter’ fare but normal taxi fare. How much is that worker being paid by his employers to keep paying ¢16,000.00 (or G¢1.6p) on a round trip each day to and from work? Note also that most workers have to board vehicles at least twice a day before arriving either at work or home. How are they to survive? The effect is that most of them have stopped boarding taxis, which means that our business as taxi drivers is gradually dying!” Kweitsuru lamented.

Yesterday’s demonstration, which was organised under the aegis of the Committee of Joint Action (CJA) lived up to its billing as a demonstration to demonstrate that the people of Ghana are really dying as a result of the unfeeling policies of the government. Dubbed “Yewuo”, the demonstrators carried placards that told the story of how the people of Ghana are dying through suffering. Some of the placards read, “Yewu oo, Yewu”, “Our Fishermen Are Dying”, “LPG too! Why oh, Why?”, “Everywhere Suffer Suffer”, “Too Much Wahala In The Land”, among others.

The demonstrators finally converged at the Hearts of Oak training park near the Lotteries headquarters, where they were addressed by leading members of the CJA, including Mr. Kwesi Pratt Jnr., Mr. Bernard Mornah, Alhaji Ramadan, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, Ama Benyiwa Doe, Charles Kofi Wayo, and many other leading figures on the political scene.

Earlier, the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Ageymang Rawlings addressed the protestors at the Freedom and Justice Park at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle before the commencement of the protest.

She lamented the lack of truth and justice under the Kufuor administration. “The lies are too much, where is truth? Where is justice?” she asked. Nana Konadu assured the people of Ghana of a humane NDC government under Atta Mills, a government that would pursue people-centred policies aimed at providing enabling environment to ensure that no Ghanaian, and no part of Ghana, is left behind on the development ladder.

Addressing more to the government than to the demonstrators, Mr. Kwesi Pratt Jnr. expressed the hope that government would hear the loud protests of Ghanaians concerning the high level of suffering in the land.

He warned that if government persists in its obduracy, more ‘Yewuo’ demonstration would take place across the nation to ensure that the government adheres to the dictates of the masses upon whose mandate government officials are in power.

A counter demonstration threatened by a hitherto unknown group calling itself Committee for Advancement Democracy, believed to be a pro-government group, failed to come on.

But, intelligence trickling in to the offices of the Weekly Standard has it that pro-government elements are in the process of organising a demonstration to pass a vote of confidence in government’s handling of the economy. According to the intelligence reports, the pro-government demonstration would be known as “Ye Tease”.