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WE SHALL NOT BE STOPPED!
NEXT DATE, 22ND SEPTEMBER
Ladies and Gentlemen of the mass media, we thank you
for showing up at such short notice.
Yesterday, the Let My Vote Count Alliance, in
collaboration with other pressure groups, notably,
the Alliance For Accountable Governance (AFAG), the
Movement for Change, Coalition for Free, Fair and
Transparent Elections, several leading members of
notable political parties, including the NPP, CPP,
PNC, PPP, NDP, and thousands of unarmed concerned
citizens of Ghana all joined a peaceful, vibrant
procession to picket the Electoral Commission and
present a petition on the need to scrap the existing
voters' register for a new, credible one to be
compiled for the 2016 general elections. In short,
our message was that: THE 2012 REGISTER MUST CHANGE!
Unfortunately, police officers clad in riot gear
confronted a group of overwhelmingly young and
peaceful protesters, including women, near the TUC.
The police charged unarmed protesters, ambushed us,
and brutalized us, using tear gas, batons,
horsewhips, riot shields, smoke grenades and rubber
bullets.
We want to thank the journalists who were there to
cover the event and have subsequently reported
correctly that the violence started with the Police
without a single act of violent provocation from the
protesters.
are currently piecing together all the
information we can about yesterday’s incident,
including the allegation by a scientist, who was an
eye (and nose) witness, suggesting that the Police
used nitrous oxide (sleeping gas) on the protesters.
Our plan is to mount a class action in court against
the Police for the violence that occurred yesterday.
Our immediate concern since yesterday was to see
that the injured received medical care and those
arrested received legal support.
We join millions of Ghanaians who have unreservedly
condemned the excessive, arbitrary and brutish use
of violent force by the Police against unarmed
protesters, even after they were dispersing, as
desired by the Police.
We have heard the Minister of Communications, Dr
Omane Boamah of CJA fame, this morning on
television, justifying the illegal use of brute
violence by the Police against unarmed Ghanaian
protesters walking away from the scene of
confrontation.
How can the Police or Cabinet Ministers justify such
a naked, excessive use of violence by the Police in
democratic Ghana today? This is what dictotors do to
their own people, Mr President. We expect President
John Dramani Mahama to come out to condemn this
unlawful act of violence by the Police against the
demonstrators. He should learn from President Barack
Obama, who came out to condemn in no uncertain terms
the police violence in Ferguson and Baltimore
against American citizens.
Are we , therefore, to conclude that the loud
silence of the President and the loud defence that
his chief spokesperson, Dr Boamah, made this morning
in favour of the Police is an apt amplification of
the President’s own view on this matter?
We wish to remind President John Dramani Mahama that
the late President John Evans Atta Mills left him a
country at peace with itself. If he is not prepared
to protect the human rights of the people he
disagrees with, then the people are also not
prepared to be submissive victims of arbitrary force
by the State.
Our entire mission yesterday was to take a
constitutional step to push for a clean register for
a clean election to keep our country clean from
post-election conflict in the future. Only a
President who is bent on being a beneficiary of
rigged election would unleash the Police like he did
yesterday against people pushing for clean electoral
process.
We wish to serve notice to the President and his
Police Force that we shall not be moved. We shall
not be harassed, beaten, intimidated, brutalized and
cowed by police violence to stop our campaign for a
change in the register.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the mass media, we called
you hear today to inform the general public through
you that we are going back next week to finish the
work we set out to do. The Police prevented us from
picketing the EC and presenting our petition. We,
therefore, have unfinished business.
Just before this news conference we delivered a
letter, as the law demands, to notify the Greater
Accra Police of our decision to peacefully picket
the Electoral Commission on Tuesday, 22nd of
September, 2015, and present a petition to the EC
which calls for a change in the register. We shall
also demonstrate against police violence. Ghanaians
must stand up against elective dictatorship.
This renewed campaign, with the hashtag #ChangeTheVotersRegisterNow,
starts with this news conference. We are calling all
on Ghanaians who believe in the call for a new
register and are against police violence to join us
on this peaceful protest.
Our petition to be presented to the EC next Tuesday
is signed, so far, by more than 5,000 entities,
including individuals, associations and groups, such
as market women, commercial drivers, street hawkers,
labourers, students, youth groups, professionals,
etc. The petitioners are expressing their
constitutional right and duty to have their voices
heard by the EC and all other stakeholders on this
very important matter; a matter, which we believe
can make or break the fortunes of Ghana’s democracy.
We have told the Police today and wish to stress to
the general public through you, the media, that we
are law-abiding, patriotic Ghanaians determined to
do our best to defend Ghana's democracy. We want a
clean register, for a clean election, for a peaceful
Ghana.
We have also informed the Police that “We are ready
to cooperate fully with the Police for a peaceful
procession, to achieve our mission: picket and
present a petition to the Chairperson of the
Electoral Commission for the current register to be
changed and a new one compiled for the 2016 general
elections.”
Let us all stand up and fight, with all the
legitimate, non-violent weapons at our
constitutional disposal to win this battle for a
clean register, for a clean election, for a
peaceful, progressive Ghana.
We thank you very much for your attention.
David Asante (Convener, LMVCA, on behalf of Group) |
