Some of the empty bottles
A youth group believed to be affiliated to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) drunk alcohol excessively before embarking on a demonstration to protest against government for neglecting Tema Manhean.
The members and leadership of the ‘Proud Ga Damgme Youth,’ a pressure group based in Tema, brought crates of alcoholic beverages and minerals to the forecourt of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) to drink.
Over protestors, mostly residents of Tema Newtown, marched through some streets of Manhean to the central business district at Community 1 in Tema.
They held placards with inscriptions which read, ‘Tema Manhean deserves better,’ ‘Don’t deceive the President on the state of Tema Manhean,’ ‘Enough of the neglect,’ ‘Give us a better hospital now, ‘3 Wise men in Tema put aside your individual interest and come together,’ among others.
The physically challenged man with a beer bottle
The NDC youth terminated the demonstration at TMA and presented a petition to the Assembly.
A physically challenged man was nearly assaulted by some members of the group, who accused him of drinking majority of the alcoholic beverages.
Although he was seen with a bottle of beer, nobody was able to prove that he drunk all the alcohol.
“There is no doubt that Tema Manhean, which serves as the traditional home of Tema, has been neglected by successive governments, the 130,000 people in the area being denied proper medical care and good roads,” according to a petition signed by Adjei Adjierteh Bashiru, Chairman of the group stated.
“The only health facility is the polyclinic, which serves the huge number of people.”
“The health facility does not operate at night and our question is what happens to the ordinary Ghanaian who falls sick at Tema Manhean at the night? Your guess is surely as good as ours. The facility operates without a theatre and both males and females share a small ward, irrespective of your age. The medical clinic is also resourced with medical facilities and staff to operate,” it said.
They also complained about the deplorable roads in the area, especially the stretch from Manhean Station to Meridian Fm Junction.
“What do they use the money collected from the two toll booths in the area for.
“It’s very unfortunate we live in a town where streetlights have been malfunctioning for over two years without any attention. It is very dangerous to walk or drive at night,” the petition said.
From Vincent Kubi, Tema