-In Zeal To Stop #FixTheCountry Demo
The petulant Ghana Police Service (GPS) has vowed to defy the constitutional rights of the growing youth movement #FixTheCountry by stopping their planned series of street protests despite the Service losing a suit in the Supreme Court today when they attempted to place a perpetual injunction on the protests.
The petulant GPS says it will turn to the High Court to illegally seek to stop the youth group from constitutionally seeking their voices to be heard through protest against societal and systemic rot in Ghana.
“The Supreme Court refused to restrain the Ghana Police Service or their agents, assigns, workmen or workwomen from unlawfully interfering with the constitutional right of the conveners of the “Fix-the-Country” protest from embarking on a public demonstration,” read a strange statement released today by the GPS.
The Supreme Court had today quashed an earlier order granted ex parte by the High Court on May 6, 2021, restraining the conveners of the youth movement. According to the GPS, the decision of the Supreme Court was based on the indefinite terms in which the ex parte order was made.
The Police Service is justifying its resolve to stop the protest by claiming it is enforcing the COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Akufo Addo administration to discourage mass gatherings that could spread the disease.
However, the Police Service has conveniently allowed political rallies and mass events associated with government officials.
The latest arbitrariness of the GPS was witnessed late last week when over a thousand mourners, including President Akufo Addo, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, Chief Justice Anin Yeboah and others, converged at the funeral of Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (Sir John) the former General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) who incidentally died of COVID-19.
The blatant partiality exhibited by the police service is igniting more anger among young people and the general public.
Meanwhile, organizers of the #FixTheCountry protest have stated that they are satisfied with the Supreme Court decision to nullify the police’s injunction on their demonstration.
The group says the court’s nullification of the injunction is an important development to facilitate the plans of the youth movement to force a systemic change of the corrupt political status quo.
One of the numerous conveners for the youth movement, Oliver Barker-Vormavor, said the apex court’s ruling is about “testing of the pulse of our constitution to know that it is alive and that is what we are grateful for.”
“I think that we have always been clear. But we are still waiting for the court to give us the order and once we get that, we can advise ourselves properly and see the best way to seek accountability to ensure that Ghana is fixed even if it requires another demonstration”, he said on Accra-based Citi News.