SPONSORSHIP AD HERE  
 
Commentary
We invite commentaries from writers all over. The subject is about Ghana and the world. We reserve the right to accept or reject submissions, but we are not necessarily responsible for the opinions expressed in articles we publish.
.           Home

We invite responsible response to articles on our pages.  Response should not be less than 200 words. Write to: The Editor, editor@ghanadot.com

 
 
 
Bank of Ghana Daily Interbank FX Rates
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Press Release

LMVCA

September 18, 2015

 

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)

 

 

Google
 
Web www.ghanadot.com

 

Anas was under pressure to shelve video – Baako

Ghanaweb, Sept 09, Ghanadot - Ace Investigative Journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas came under intense pressure from certain high offices of the land to shelve his investigative piece that has established complicity of some thirty-four (34) high profile Judges in an explosive corruption scandal, his boss and Veteran Journalist Kweku Baako has revealed........More

 

 

Military In Burkina Faso Confirms Coup And Dissolves Government

HuffingtonPost, Sept 18, Ghanadot - The announcement aired on national television and radio said the transitional government was dissolved and the interim president no longer in power. -.....More

 

   

IMF Completes First Review of Ghana’s ECF and Approves US$116.6 Million Disbursement

IMF, Sept 01, Ghanadot - In completing the review, the Executive Board also granted waivers for the nonobservance of performance criteria regarding gross credit to government, and non-accumulation of external arrears, based on their minor and temporary nature and the corrective measures put in place by the authorities. The Executive Board also approved the authorities’ request for modifications of performance criteria......More

 

 

The Iran charade on Capitol Hill

Commentary, Sept 18, Ghanadot - Congress is finally having its say on the Iran deal. It will be an elaborate charade, however, because, having first gone to the United Nations, President Obama has largely drained congressional action of relevance. At the Security Council, he pushed through a resolution ratifying the deal, thus officially committing the United States as a nation to its implementation — in advance of any congressional action......More

 

   
 

ABC, Australia
FOXNews.com
The EastAfrican, Kenya
African News Dimensions
Chicago Sun Times
The Economist
Reuters World
CNN.com - World News

All Africa Newswire
Google News
The Guardian, UK
Africa Daily
IRIN Africa
The UN News
Daily Telegraph, UK
Daily Nation, East Africa

BBC Africa News, UK
Legal Brief Africa
The Washington Post

Daily Mail, UK
BusinessInAfrica
Mail & Guardian, S. Africa
The Washington Times
ProfileAfrica.com
Voice of America

Business & Financial Times

CBSnews.com
New York Times
Vanguard, Nigeria
Christian Science Monitor
News24.com
Yahoo/Agence France Presse

 
  SPONSORSHIP AD HERE  
 
   

Announcements
Debate
Commentary
Ghanaian Papers
Health
Market Place
News
Official Sites
Pan-African Page
Personalities
Reviews
Social Scene
Sports

 
   

Currency Converter
Educational Opportunities
Job Opening
FYI