Protesters addressing the media
Hundreds of members of the Ga-Dangbe Progressive Group and their sympathisers yesterday staged a demonstration against the demolition of structures at La Pleasure Beach Resort, demanding urgent government intervention to restore the livelihoods of affected traders and workers.
The demonstrators, who marched under the banner “Aaagbe Wɔ Demo,” wore red and black T-shirts and matching head and hand bands to express their displeasure with what they described as the unfair treatment of people whose businesses were affected by the exercise.
They carried placards with inscriptions, including “Development Does Not Mean Destroying Other People’s Livelihoods”, “Labadi Beach Workers Are Hurting, Hear Our Cry”, “We Want to Work, We Want Our Livelihood Back”, and “We Deserve Dignity, Not Demolition.”
Others read: “You Break Our Structures, You Break Our Families” and “Our Businesses May Be Gone, But Our Voices May Not Be Silenced.”
Traders and workers affected by the demolition were seen chanting protest songs and recounting their losses, while appealing to the government to introduce measures that would enable them to return to work as soon as possible.
They said the demolition had deprived them of their sources of income, leaving many struggling to provide for their families and meet their financial obligations.
Present at the demonstration were some bigwigs within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) which include former Ledzokuku Member of Parliament (MP) and Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, Daniel Titus Glover, National Organiser of the NPP, Kojo Bamba, First Vice Chairman of the NPP, and Odododiodioo Constituency NPP Parliamentary Candidate, Abdul Manaf Sowah, among others.
Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Freddie Blay, who joined the protest, expressed displeasure over the La Pleasure Beach demolition.
He said the exercise has rendered about 4,000 people homeless and jobless overnight.
Mr. Blay described the demolition as extremely reckless and unfriendly, saying, “the youth and the people of Ga-Dangbe are protesting against unnecessary demolition. Unfriendly and extremely reckless actions of government agents in terms of demolitions and breakdown of legitimate businesses that the indigenes of this land are engaging in.”
He noted that the people of La, who have contributed significantly to Ghana’s hospitality industry, particularly through businesses at Laboma Beach and La Pleasure Beach Resort, have had their livelihoods destroyed.
“People in La have their own appreciation of what Ghana needs in terms of hospitality and are contributing to it. Overnight, you have broken them down. Rendered about 3,000 to 4,000 people homeless and jobless, and this is the protest. Let Ghanaians know that people in Ga-Dangbe are not happy, and those of us who may not even be Ga-Dangbe are expressing our solidarity with the youth of this region and also Greater Accra,” he added.
Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, who addressed journalists during the demonstration, called on the government to urgently engage the affected persons and address their concerns.
In a petition presented to Presidential Staffer Charles Mensah, Okoe Boye outlined the pleas of the affected individuals, which included the government’s failure to consult the traders and workers before the demolition.
“Is that how you show love? I want to speak on record. Nobody in this government has spoken to the people. Nobody at all,” he said.
In the petition, Dr. Okoe Boye also challenged the government to identify the people it had described as vulnerable in its response to the situation.
“This is a government that demolishes and destroys. When they finish, they don’t even say sorry. They come to lie about what they face. So we are here to let the government know that Accra is not only angry, we are also hungry,” he added.
He urged the government to demonstrate concern for the plight of the affected traders by providing compensation and ensuring that officials and security personnel involved in the exercise acted professionally.
“People don’t have food to eat. Show you care for the poor. Show your democratic credentials by immediately providing compensation,” he stated.
He further called for disciplinary action against officials he accused of misconduct, warning that the government could face electoral consequences if it failed to address the concerns.
Traders Count Losses
The demonstration followed the October 2 demolition at La Pleasure Beach Resort, which left several traders and workers stranded after structures housing their businesses were pulled down.
Some affected traders said they had received inadequate notice of the exercise, leaving them with little time to remove their goods and personal belongings before earthmoving equipment arrived.
They said shops, restaurants and other small businesses were destroyed, with goods worth thousands of cedis lost.
“We were not given enough time. We only heard that they would come, and before we could pack, the machines were already here. Everything we have worked for over the years is gone,” one trader said.
Others said the exercise had also affected casual workers, food vendors and artisans who depended on activities at the beach resort for their daily income.
Some business owners said they had taken loans to establish their businesses and were now struggling to determine how they would repay them following the destruction of their sources of income.
The affected persons called for compensation, alternative livelihood support and clear arrangements to enable them to resume their economic activities.
Management Goes to Court
Meanwhile, the management of La Pleasure Beach has sued Hotel Investments (Ghana) Limited, operators of Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Beach Hotel Limited and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) over the demolition of its management office and other structures at the beachfront.
The suit, filed at the High Court in Accra, is seeking, among other reliefs, a declaration affirming the management committee’s authority to manage, control and regulate activities at the beach and generate revenue from them.
The writ of summons, sworn to by Stanley Anyetei Nunoo, Chairman of the La Pleasure Beach Management Committee, alleged that the defendants, together with security personnel engaged for the operation, unlawfully demolished the committee’s management office and other licensed structures.
According to the statement of claim, the demolition disrupted the committee’s operations.
The committee maintains that it was established following a Court of Appeal order dated July 21, 2022, which, according to the plaintiff, dissolved an interim management committee established by the High Court in April 2013.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke