It was around 6:00pm, Thursday, the 27th of September 2012, and the evening was easy going. Scores of people from the New York State, and its environs began to converge at Marriott Marquis Hotel in the New York City, where the President of the republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, was lodging. A little over an hour after the first person arrived, the intensity of the shouting and hooting were loud enough to attract the attention of by-passers.

“What is this whole cacophony of ranting about?” a by-passer asked.

It was no other people than the concerned citizens of Ghana; persons with unassailable passion for the development of our nation, Ghana. A close up with these persons, made up of men and women, revealed that, they were there to vent their spleen on the president of our country, Ghana. Also present were persons of different race, who find their connection with Ghana through marriage, and have a number of investments in the country.

A look at some of their placards read “Corrupt ion President Mahama”, “President Mahama is responsible for the most corrupt international loan agreement in Ghana’s history STX KOREA deal”, “President Mahama, the world is watching you”, “President Mahama is using Ghanaian workers’ pension scheme to service his brother’s loan, so Ibrahim Mahama could fly a private jet among others.

The demonstrators raised concerns about the President’s inaction on the calamitous Yaw Boateng Gyan’ “secret” tape. They further stated that, they were worried about the continuous acedia of the President, which could be a recipe for chaos in the 7th December election. They therefore charged John Mahama to take a radical and bold step to cause the arrest of Yaw Boateng Gyan for interrogation. This they believe will restore the confidence of our security agencies in the citizenry.

Furthermore, they charged the president to add his voice to the call to halt the creation of the 45 new constituencies. According to them, the timing was not favorable, and that, any misunderstanding that may stem out of these avoidable constituencies may degenerate into “something else”.

Another apprehension vividly expressed by these demonstrators was the litters of corrupt practices engaged by government officials to the detriment of the nation’s development. They were also worried about the highfaluting sums of the tax payers’ monies being dole out to cronies of government officials as judgment debts. They stated Woyomegate, CPgate, Isofotongate, the fraudulent STX deal as example of such inimical practices. They cited the deteriorating NHIS as a sector that the government could inject such monies to make our health system more robust, efficient and results oriented.

Interestingly, there was another group too at the demo grounds, whom according to the information available were hired by the NDC – New York Youth Organizer to counter – demonstrate against the concerned citizens of Ghana. It took the intervention of the police to halt some looming confrontations. This group – numbering around fifty (50) – according to sources were paid hundred dollars ($100) each for their services. One of the demonstrators asked, “eeiii where do all these monies come from; is it not our taxes being used to pay these hoodlums?”

Though the organizers had only two days in organizing the event, and thus had little time in the task of publicity, they were very much appreciative of the significant number persons who made time within their busy schedules, and turned out to express their anger, frustration and disappointment at the high level of corruption in the Mahama administration among many other things.

They did indicate that, as partners of development of our nation, they are very proud of themselves to have seized the opportunity of the President’s presence in New York, to have done what they did. They reiterated their commitment to demonstrate against the current government anytime the opportunity avail itself, until the existing abhorring governance status-quo changes. Their actions, they said were prosecuted in the supreme interest of their friends and families, and mother Ghana in general.

The demonstrators ended the demo with the sing of the national anthem “God bless our homeland Ghana…..”

Amponsah Stonash New York. * *