According to the Political Scientist who also lectures at the Methodist University in Accra, Dr. Samuel Osei Bonsu, the march will have no influence on the policy direction of the NPP government. The political science lecturer believes the energy spent demonstrating could have been channeled into more profitable ventures capable.
“I don’t believe this demonstration will really have any influence on government”, Dr. Bonsu stated emphatically.
According to the lecturer, the reasons given for the demonstration are baseless and have no bearing on the government currently. Dr. Bonsu asserts that, the cedi depreciation reason given by the demonstrators is misplaced because the cedi, as things stand now, has stabilised in value.
On the issue of a seeming attack on press freedom, the Political Science lecturer described the claims by the demonstrators as ‘baseless’.
“With the issue pertaining to journalist, I agree there has been issues but what evidence do we have to implicate the government that the journalists were tortured and government is trampling on press freedom. Even the issue with respect to Manasseh Azure and the vigilantism documentary, people claimed the government is hunting him for that documentary but it later turned out that he has travelled on his own mission”, Dr. Bonsu explained.
He adds also that the claims of purported economic hardship in the country is misplaced.
He explained, “let’s consider their claim on the cedi depreciation, I believe their demonstration would have been impactful if done at the time the cedi-dollar rate was fast deteriorating. Currently, it can be seen that the cedi has stabilised. They also said there is rampant economic hardship and businesses are not booming; I don’t believe Ghanaians are starving now. One thing people must understand it that, businesses are not booming because there has been proliferation of sellers.”
The Coalition for Social Justice, a pressure group affiliated to the opposition NDC on Tuesday organised a demonstration to express their disapproval of happenings in the NPP-led government. Several hundreds from all walks of life, majority of them from opposition parties in the country, joined the demonstration. Party bigwigs from the NDC such as Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Mahama Ayariga, Nana Oye Lithur, John Dumelo and several others participated in what they described as a march against hardship, insecurity and oppression.
The convener for the coalition, Sammy Gyamfi who doubles as the National Communications officer for the NDC in addressing the demonstrators narrated that the demonstration was against the hardships, insecurity and oppression experienced under the current Akufo-Addo administration. He said the cost of living in the country had become unbearable, with a heightened state of insecurity among others forcing himself and several others to put together the march.
Despite the justification, Dr. Samuel Osei Bonsu remains unconvinced that the demonstration was necessary.
