The Dean of Graduates Studies at the University of Professional Studies (UPSA) Dr. John Mensah Mawutor has said the pressure from the #Fixthecountry movement ought to be sustained to put the government on its toes.
Speaking on Tonton Sansan on TV XYZ, Dr. Mawutor emphasized that political accountability in fixing the economic challenges in the country is key as far as the campaign is concerned.
“I was not shocked at the call to fix the country. If we don’t give these youth what they like, it may degenerate into something else” he told host Prince Minkah.
Asked if it was justifiable for the youth to demand for accountability, he responded in the affirmative and stressed”I wish the campaign should be sustained beyond this administration.”
To him, “The politicians know the problem the people are facing and must tackle the challenges because they made promises to solve the problems, adding “When they promised 1 District, 1 Factory, they knew there was a problem… That’s a solution to an existing problem.”
He indicated that the more the population grows and the society expands, the country’s needs become complicated, adding “and it is the duty of the government to fix these problems.”
“I wish NDC could even promise 1 District, 4 factories” he said and explained that it will make the youth gain confidence in politicians.
According to him, the urgent task of rebuilding the economy requires all Ghanaians and political parties to realign their values and principles to respond to the challenges the people are battling with.
Background
The #FixTheCountry street protest is slated for August 4, 2021.
Over the last three months, what started as an online protest about broken systems within the Ghanaian economy gained grounds 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.
Coveners have said they are ready for the march on Founders’ Day.
Source: Myxyzonline.com|Ghana
