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News Central

#FixTheCountry: IMANI boss questions silence of Mahama administration critics

By : cd on 08 May 2021, 09:35     |     Source: citinewsroom

Franklin Cudjoe

IMANI Africa President Franklin Cudjoe has questioned the supposed silence of notable critics of the Mahama administration amid the ongoing “#FixTheCountry” campaign against the Akufo-Addo government.

“My disappointment is that I did not see some of those leading activists join this particular call,” he said on The Big Issue.

Among the notable campaigns against the Mahama administration was the #Occupyflagstaffhouse movement, which was triggered by the deteriorating economic and governance situation in the country.

Mr. Cudjoe surmised that the lack of consistency from the previous protests was because “that movement was hijacked by the politicos.”

“Almost all the leaders have now become appendages or have become peeping toms for the government,” he noted.

But the IMANI Africa president expects the “Fix the country” protests to have more staying power.

“This is probably going to be much more credible because it is going to have a base network, and it connects with people.”

He further stressed that the spirit of the ongoing protests “should live in the hearts of everybody.”

“I think the government will now have to understand that when you are advised by policy wonks or people who deal with paper advice, and you don’t listen, very soon, when the immediacy of the impact of your actions get home you will find the kinds of response that you get street-wise.”

The “#FixTheCountry” campaign has been trending online since it started on Twitter a week ago.

It has since become more organized, with its members attempting to hold a demonstration on May 9.

The planned demonstration was however stifled by the state after the Ghana Police Service secured an injunction against it.

The court ruled that the planned protest would not be able to come off until the restriction on public gatherings is lifted.

Conveners of the protest have now moved to challenge the injunction.

The attempt to quell the protest is a misstep by the state, according to Mr. Cudjoe, who further noted that political gatherings, among others, were allowed to take place without any challenge from police.

“It is not the best way to respond to people when you as politicos have had the opportunity to do everything under the sun to have an election and all of that,” he said.