I’m completely dissatisfied with this government, they have failed – Ghana’s ace journalist Kwesi Pratt

Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has stated that the current government has completely failed.

According to him, despite being dissatisfied with the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government, it was important that only legal means are used to remove the government i.e. via the ballot box.

The veteran journalist spoke on June 25, 2022 on the Alhaji and Alhaji Show on Pan African Television whiles discussing the upcoming Arise Ghana demonstration.

He cited rumours about the route of the 48-hour protest which said the protesters planned among other places to converge close to the private and official residences of the president.

“Is that true, if that is true; what is the purpose? What is it intended to achieve… where is it coming from?” he quizzed.

He cautioned the main opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, whose leading members are part of the convenors; over their level of involvement in the process.

“I have been speaking to many of the leaders of the National Democratic Congress and all of them have said that ‘we don’t want the destabilization of the current process, we are confident that we are winning this election and we don’t want anything to disturb our chances. We are winning this election clearly.

“That should inform the NDC’s participation in any activity if that is the strategic goal of the NDC. Ghana belongs to all of us. I am completely dissatisfied with this administration. I think this administration has failed.

“But between me and you, just think, where in the world will anybody allow demonstrators to converge in front of the president’s house. If they plan to assemble there, I advise them to change now,” he added.

Arise Ghana describes itself as a group comprising political party leaders, media practitioners, civil society players, creative arts, trades union among others determined to relentlessly champion the common cause of the Ghanaian people.

The group state that they also want to provide a voice for the voiceless and seek reforms that would bring about the needed change in the socio-economic, politico-social, and general wellbeing of the Ghanaian citizenry.

Main issues underpinning the protest

According to a recent statement, the historic two-day demonstration is primarily to protest persistent and astronomical hikes in fuel prices by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government that has imposed excruciating economic hardships on Ghanaians.

It said it was also to protest the imposition of the obnoxious E-Levy on the already-burdened Ghanaian people by the insensitive Akufo-Addo/Bawumia Government and demand a full scale and bi-partisan parliamentary probe into COVID-19 expenditures.

Others are to protest the grabbing of State lands by officials of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, particularly the de-classification of huge portions of the Achimota Forest reserve.

The rest are to protest the increased rate of police brutalities and state-sponsored killing of innocent Ghanaians, as well as the growing culture of human rights abuses under the watch of President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and demand the total cancelation of the fraudulent “Agyapa” deal.