One
after the other, the groups passed; singing, chanting and stamping
their feet in unison. As if “asafo companies” possessed by the goddess
of music, they charged towards the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange with
spontaneous compositions around the two most unpopular synonyms in the
country presently – Mahama and dumsor:
“Dumsor is what you get! Dumsor is what you get! You said you needed Mahama, so dumsor is what you get!” came one composition.
Clad in black with a moderate sprinkle of red, the half-kilometer
long line of protesters embarking on the #DumsorMustStop vigil appeared
like an army of migratory driver ants whose habitat had been threatened.
Indeed, they were a people whose nation was under the threat of
irredeemable retrogression from the gross mismanagement of a seemingly
clueless government. The worst is the power crisis, which has plagued
the nation for the past three years. Businesses are folding up. People
are dying. Others are losing their sources of livelihood.
Just last week, Joy FM reported a harrowing experience at the
Kaneshie Polyclinic, where health personnel delivering a woman had to
‘cut’ her using torchlights. These are among the endless list of untold
hardships which the power crisis has brought on Ghanaians. So the people
were on the street to send a message to those who are paid to fix the
problems.
Organisers of the vigil were told that they were doing the bidding of
the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). But what those critics have
forgotten, granted that their claims are even true, is that NPP
supporters are not Afghans. They were told their vigil would not add a
single megawatt to the power we have. What they have forgotten is that
silence emboldens the oppressor. They were told to be patient with the
president, for Rome was not built in a day. What believers in this
cliché do not know is that Rome would never have been built if the
builders were stealing the building materials with so much impunity as
we see here.
The protestors defied all odds and subtle attempts to suppress them
and poured into the street in their numbers. The procession was so long
that the singers and other performers were divided into many sections.
With the Ghanaian’s incredible sense of humour even in the midst of
crises, some of them lightened up the occasion for fellow protesters and
people who had lined up the street to catch glimpses of what was
happening.
The section or group that attracted many curious eyes was the one
which had the celebrities, led by actress Yvonne Nelson, a young woman
no prophet would ever have predicted to be part of such national cause.
She was the initiator.
Prior to this event, Yvonne Nelson did not matter in the scheme of
state affairs. No, she didn’t. Her name would not come up in any serious
national discourse. Many consigned her significance to entertainment.
That was where her name and fame began. And ended.
But as the sun grudgingly shuffled away from the cloudless sky on
that Saturday evening, I was certain it carried with it a message to our
ancestors on the other side of the world. If that sun met the brave and
fearless Asante Queen of Ejisu, Yaa Asantewaa, it would surely announce
the birth of her incarnate. And Yaa Asantewaa would definitely be proud
of Yvonne Nelson.
The size of an animal, they say, does not matter. What matters,
according to our sages of old, is the taste in its soup. But in the case
of the #DumsorMustStop vigil, both elements of size and taste were very
much present. The crowd was huge. And the individuals that made up the
crowd were persons of substance. Yes, they were.
Yvonne ‘Yaa Asantewaa’ Nelson, Sarkodie and a host
of showbiz personalities, who organised the vigil, were expected to
attract their typical youthful and fun-loving fans to the event. But
they got people who may never have known about their existence until May
2015. Just as I descended from the Total filling station towards
Okponglo, I spotted the Head of the Department of Communication Studies
at the University of Ghana, Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo,
and another lecturer of the department, Prof. K. Ansu-Kyereme. I also
saw Prof. Kwame Karikari, former Executive Director of the Media
Foundation for West Africa. Dr. Esi Ansah and Dr. Lloyd Amoah of Ashesi
University, among other academics, were present.
Motivational Speaker, Mrs. Comfort Ocran, and other women of her
class were there. Lawyers, top business executives, medical doctors,
students, a handful of politicians, people from the lower, middle and
upper classes of the society congregated on Saturday. In fact, I am
trying hard to avoid the cliché “people from all walks of life.”
Apart from President Mills’ funeral, I can say this vigil gathered
more journalists in one location than any other event I know of in
Ghana. And to think that there was no “soli” makes this enormous
assembly of the fourth estate impressive. Me and this my mouth!
People came in their numbers. They came with their frustrations. They
came clutching primitive sources of light which our forefathers used
before the first white man sailed across the azure sea to our land with
strong wine and the Bible. That’s what many people use in this era of
erratic power outages. They came with one message, to tell the President
of the Republic of Ghana that enough was enough. They came to remind
President John Dramani Mahama that in the 21st century,
electricity is a necessity, not a luxury to be enjoyed by a select few.
They came to tell the rulers of our sacred land that they were fed up
with the promises and needed solutions to myriad of problems crippling
the economy.
And their voices went far. Apart from the 274 newly composed songs
whose lyrics rose in unison like a sacred religious incantation, the
numerous media organisations carried that strong voice to every corner
of the planet. Social media was awash with live updates, images and
videos of the vigil. All those who listened to the BBC’s Akwasi Sarpong
on Focus on Africa that Saturday evening heard Ghana’s #DumsorMustStop
vigil in the headlines of the world broadcaster. I can imagine how
embarrassed he would feel in the presence of his colleagues and
producers with such news coming from his home country.
The road to the successful vigil was short, but appeared long and
bumpy. It started a couple of weeks ago. Before the announcement of the
vigil was made, members of the creative arts industry who had long
appeared ambivalent about the affairs of the state woke up to the
reality. Prolific rapper Sarkodie has composed a number of songs on
hardships people are enduring, especially due to the power crisis.
Yvonne Nelson’s tweet about the power crisis spread like Australian wild
fire. The strongest message to the President yet, however, came from
actress Lydia Forson. Apart from the use of one word, which many found
offensive, Lydia Forson’s article carried the exact sentiments of all
well-meaning Ghanaians apart from those who did not understand the witty
write-up or those who have lost their brains to politics.
The celebrities were insulted. They were labeled as prostitutes by
some government communicators. As usual, their measurements were taken
and, within minutes, well-fitting political cloaks were sewn and forced
on them. But they stood their grounds. They believed in their
convictions, and their resolve to suffer for their principles culminated
in massive protest march we witnessed last Saturday. As Sarkodie puts
it, “History was made.”
As I drove home that evening, my heart glowed pride. It glowed with
hope, the hope that the revolution I have always longed for had begun.
Yes, revolution! For the past few years, I have longed for a revolution.
But my kind of revolution is not the one we know in this country. It is
not the Ft. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings kind of revolution, the revolution I
used to admire until recently.
Growing up, I read about how “kalabule” or corruption was crippling
this country until the “Saviour,” the “Junior Jesus” (J.J.) Rawlings,
stepped in. Architects of the corrupt practices were stripped naked,
flogged, imprisoned or had their assets seized. Some were killed.
Probity and accountability are words we associate with Rawlings and
his revolutions. Since I stumbled on the Indemnity Clauses of the
Transitional Provisions in the 1992 Constitution, however, I have never
ceased to wonder why Rawlings still has the guts to mention probity and
accountability as cherished values of the revolution because of what he
and his team achieved through drafters of the constitution. Section 34
(3) of the Transitional Provisions states:
“For the avoidance of doubt, it is declared that no executive,
legislative or judicial action taken or purported to have been taken by
the Provisional National Defence Council or the Armed Forces
Revolutionary Council or a member of the Provisional National Defence
Council or the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council or by any person
appointed by the Provisional National Defence Council or the Armed
Forces Revolutionary Council in the name or either the Provisional
National Defence Council or the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council shall
be questioned in any proceedings whatsoever and, accordingly, it shall
not be lawful for any court or other tribunal to make any order or grant
any remedy or relief in respect of any such act.”
The indemnity clauses basically say that whatever sins that were
committed during and after the revolutions cannot be punished by any
court of law. Whatever they have stolen should not be retrieved, and
whatever wrong they did within the period should go unpunished. Is this
probity and accountability?
Knowing, that a change of government could lead to a turn of events,
Section 37 of the Transitional Provisions states: “Notwithstanding
anything in Chapter 25 of this Constitution, Parliament shall have no
power to amend this section or sections 34 and 35 of this Schedule."
Smart guys they are, aren’t they? For this and other reasons, I don’t
support any form of violent revolution. After bloodshed and
destruction, the messiahs often end up being worse than the supposed
tyrants from whom they seek to liberate the people. I am also against
revolutions which are engineered from outside the country or with
backing from outside forces. Libya provides a perfect case study for the
dangers of allowing outsiders to weep more than the bereaved.
The kind of revolution I have always dreamt about is the revolution
of minds, the revolution of conscience, the kind of awakening engineered
by non-partisan actors that tells leadership that the affairs of the
state can no longer be business as usual. It is the kind of revolution
in which people from all walks of life rise to demand accountability and
responsible leadership from elected officials.
For the first time in the nation’s history the clergy, the middle
class, academia, civil society, media and all identifiable groups seem
to be singing with one voice. This is the kind of revolution needed to
get our politicians to think beyond their stomachs and the next election
and spare a thought for the next generation. This pressure from the
masses is necessary because there seems to be no credible alternative in
opposition.
The NPP today is about the most dormant, if not
useless, alternative opposition party in the Fourth Republic. They
appear disorganized and disoriented. Apart from Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,
Deputy Minority Leader; Dominic Nitiwul and MP for Efutu, Alex Afenyo Markins; the opposition appears dead. Even the Suame
Mugabe, Osei Kyei “Messi” Bonsu, who started the leadership of the
opposition in parliament vibrantly, is inexplicably quiet and lost.
The executives of the party are fighting needless wars and in their
spare time some go to Oseikrom to eat fufu. When they finish belching
and realize it is 2016, they will dust their old manifesto and present
it for election. What a pathetic lot! We cannot trust the NPP so much to
be any better if the citizens do not get up and speak up!
We citizens have a role to play in getting this nation out of this
mess, but it must start from pushing leadership to act. Leadership, they
say, is the cause. Everything else is effect.
The Ashanti Region, especially Kumasi, had become a lawless region
that had been overrun by criminals. Armed robbers were able to parade in
the streets of Kumasi in broad daylight and terrorise residents in
Rambo-style operations. When ACP Kofi Boakye went to Kumasi, things
changed. Infrastructure at the Regional Police Command has seen
significant improvement and the morale of police officers in the region
is at its peak. It didn’t take extra budget to achieve that. It did not
take rocket science. It took leadership. Responsible leadership!
President John Mahama visited DCOP Kofi Boakye and congratulated him.
He charged all Ghanaians to emulate DCOP Kofi Boakye’s kind of
leadership. I was happy when I heard that the President wanted ALL
GHANAIANS to emulate DCOP Kofi Boakye. Why? Our president is not a
Togolese. Unfortunately, however, we have a leader whose trafficator
signals right when he is turning left and vice versa.
In the past, everyone minded their own business and the politicians,
like mice in the absence of cats, had their way. But now Ghanaians can
no longer take it. President Mahama and his team must, therefore, sit up
and listen to the people and act. In the wake of the Yvonne Nelson
Revolution, it is important to remind President Mahama of his own post
on his official Facebook page on April 8, 2014 at exactly 15:23 GMT:
“If the Arab Spring has taught us anything, it is that, it is no
longer acceptable to be ambivalent about the needs of the poor and
marginalized in our societies…”
In Ghana, a peaceful revolution of the minds and conscience of the
people has been set in motion and no one should make any attempt to
stand in the way of the people, as they demand acceptable conditions of
living and good governance. Anyone who has the intention of stifling
this movement should be reminded of what John F. Kennedy once warned,
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent
revolution inevitable.”
#DumsorMustStop! And #GhanaMustWorkAgain!
The Writer, Manasseh Azure Awuni, is a senior broadcast journalist with Joy 99.7FM. His email address is, azureachebe2@yahoo.com
Source: Ghana | Manasseh Azure Awuni
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