#FixTheCountry: Don’t wait for 4 years before you express anger – Magoo to Ghanaians

A former deputy spokesperson for the John Mahama 2020 campaign, Magaret Ansei has slammed President Nana Akufo-Addo for failing to transform Ghana as he promised in the run-up to the 2016 general elections.

The former MCE for Suhum who was speaking on Tonton Sansan on TV XYZ emphasized the need for Ghanaians to express their frustrations to the government through protests to help put the Akufo-Addo administration in check and also remind it of its mandate.

She was speaking on the justification or otherwise of the online protest, #FixTheCountry.

Madam Ansei, who is affectionately called Magoo, told host Prince Minkah that “the fix the country demonstration is highly justified” and rallied Ghanaians to join the street protest in Accra slated for August 4, 2021.

“Ghanaians should not wait for 4 years before they voice their frustrations through the polls. It can be done now,” Madam Ansei noted as she threw weight behind the conveners of the protest.

Explaining why she saw the protest as a good initiative, Magoo noted that Akufo-Addo has “destroyed” the country with his bad policies thereby putting Ghanaians through hardship stemmed from tax and fuel hikes.

To her, the previous administration led by former president John Mahama was governed with wisdom and compassion which saw a development-driven agenda in his government.

However, she noted that under the NPP government, the country’s economy is struggling with profligacy soared among Akufo-Addo’s appointees while Ghanaians struggle to make ends meet.

“During former president, Mahama’s era, roads, hospitals, schools were built every day but same cannot be seen today under this government,” she observed.

Criticizing persons, including members of the clergy, who were loud under the Mills-Mahama administration, Magoo indicated that “It is worrying why the vociferous stakeholders who were loud under Prez Mahama are now quiet.”

Background

Over the last three months, what started as an online protest about broken systems within the Ghanaian economy gained ground in national and international discourse, with many young people jumping on hashtags, demanding better governance from the Akufo-Addo-led administration.

The conveners of the protests have cited issues such as bad infrastructure, healthcare gaps, high standards of living, and high youth unemployment as some key concerns they demand addressed by the government within the shortest time possible.

Although the campaign has enjoyed remarkable success on social media, attempts to hold a physical protest and to present a formal petition to the government hit the rocks, as the planned protest was prohibited by lawsuits that stalled the protest from seeing the light of day.

The Verdict

The Accra High Court, however, struck out an application by the police seeking to stop the demonstration by the #FixTheCountry movement, paving way for the demonstration on Wednesday.

In a ruling in June, the court presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey, struck out the application on the basis that the date for the protest (May 9) had already passed so there was no protest to be stopped.

“I’m of the opinion that the planned demonstration is passed and therefore the application is moot,” she ruled.

She, however, stated that in the event the #FixTheCountry protestors wanted to embark on a new protest, they must go through all the laid down procedures including the one relating to the restrictions on public gathering.

Conveners have said they are ready for the march on Founders’ Day.