In a controversial move that has sparked outrage among residents, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Tema West, Anna Adukwei Addo, has deployed a significant police presence to prevent community members from participating in the highly anticipated Adom FM People’s Forum.
The forum, which aims to provide a platform for residents to voice their concerns about the state of roads, particularly the issue of bad roads in the area, was scheduled to take place today.
Early this morning, as residents began to gather at the designated venue for the People’s Forum, they were met with a heavy police presence and warnings not to proceed any further.
Adom FM reporters on the ground said the police were instructed not to allow anyone to enter the venue, effectively blocking the residents from expressing their grievances.
The decision to deploy the police has caused an uproar among the residents, who feel their democratic rights to freedom of speech and assembly have been violated.
Many residents had gathered to address the long-standing issue of bad roads in the area and were eager to engage in constructive dialogue with local authorities.
One resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, expressed their frustration, saying, “We have been living with terrible roads for years, and this was finally an opportunity to have our voices heard. It is disappointing and disheartening that the MCE would resort to such measures to silence us.”
The People’s Forum, organized by Adom FM and Adom TV, had been widely publicized and had garnered significant attention from the local community.
The aim of the forum was to facilitate an open discussion between residents and local government officials, including the MCE, to find solutions to the persistent road issues.
The residents argue that the deployment of police to suppress citizen participation is undemocratic and infringes upon the rights of the residents.
As the controversy surrounding the deployment of police to prevent community members from participating in the People’s Forum intensifies, the community waits anxiously for a solution to the bad roads that have plagued their daily lives.
The Adom FM and TV People’s Forum has become the biggest platform that is enabling communities to make their issues known.
The People’s Forum comes at no cost to communities hence many communities are leveraging this great opportunity in line with the stations’ promise of being the ‘voice of the voiceless’.
Below is a video of the deployment: