Tuesday’s march by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to demand justice for lynched social media activist, Ibrahim Kaaka Mohammed and two demonstrators, who were shot and killed by soldiers as they march to demand justice for their murdered colleague, was a “march for injustice”, leader of pressure group Economic Fighters League, Ernesto Yeboah, has said.
In an article titled: ‘NDC Demo: March for Injustice’, Mr Yeboah, whose group boycotted the march despite being part of the #FixTheCountry campaigners who were denied a similar opportunity to demonstrate, said the NDC would have shown political maturity if it had “deferred” the march to the conveners of the botched #FixTheCountry march.
In his view, the march was tactless and counter-productive.
“Just a few days ago, Nana Addo was in the league of the Eyademas, the Buharis and the Yoweri Musevenis of Africa,” Mr Yeboah noted, adding: “The NDC has, through this charade, redeemed his image of the democratic leader and has provided him with answers and examples for his masters in the West who Ghanaians were reporting the killing of Kaaka and other comrades to.
“This charade was well-captured by our state television, GTV, presumably to ensure the forged narrative was captured,” Mr Yeboah added.
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NDC Demo: March for Injustice
Imagine a world in which the most powerful opposition party, with a speaker in parliament and an equal number of seats to the ruling party, decides that the only way for them to adequately address the needs of the People is for them to embark on a demonstration.
Imagine a world in which this same party submits notice for said demonstration to the same police force which has been denying the people of Ghana their constitutional right to demonstrate, and with little resistance is given the go-ahead.
This is Ghana’s reality.
The NDC chose to embark on a ‘March for Justice’ even though we all know they do not possess the credibility to do so. An NDC of integrity, having notified and having been given the go-ahead, and knowing that others are being denied this same right, would have, instead, in an act of political maturity and skill, chosen to defer to those who are being denied the basic right to demonstrate.
A show of solidarity would have sent a stronger message to those whose votes they seek: “We see you, we HEAR you.”
When one stands in the position of power and privilege, it is important to recognise that sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is to listen.
Rather than endear themselves to the people whose votes they seek, the NDC has through this march further alienated themselves and again proved themselves to be firmly entrenched in the Ghana we don’t want.
In the political establishment. This is a Ghana that is not inclusive, a Ghana that is not just, that is not fair to its people. Whereas the doors of opportunity, privilege and rights are open to them, the reality is that they are closed to all others.
Faced with the opportunity to provide a platform for the people, the NDC, yet again, chose to take it all for themselves.
The choice to march at all betrays a lack of political maturity. When a baby cries, the world around it stops. The mother, father, and everyone else cannot continue until the needs of the baby are met. That is the power of a baby. When that baby grows into an adult, the baby’s wails do not communicate power, they communicate weakness.
This is how the NDC belittled themselves in today’s demonstration. A party with a member as Speaker of Parliament and with an equal number of seats to the ruling party chose to forgo all the power and mechanisms at their disposal, instead choosing to wail in the streets.
This apparent lack of political strategy on the part of the NDC, especially given the timing of this demonstration, also shows how inordinately selfish their approach is – again, not for the people.
We must remember that beyond party divides exists a united political establishment, which both NDC and NPP work to protect. It would appear that the NDC marched to cleanse Nana Addo’s sinking image as a tyrant and dictator who has taken to killing innocent citizens for saying FixTheCountry.
Just a few days ago, Nana Addo was in the league of the Eyademas, the Buharis and the Yoweri Musevenis of Africa.
The NDC has, through this charade, redeemed his image of the democratic leader and has provided him with answers and examples for his masters in the West who Ghanaians were reporting the killing of Kaaka and other comrades to. This charade was well-captured by our state television, GTV, presumably to ensure the forged narrative was captured.
All the above serves to make it that much more difficult for #FixTheCountry, Fighters and other legitimate forces in society to arrest the injustice and reveal the rot in the system. Anyway.