There is a serious confusion in the camp of the #FixTheCountry Movement after their request to embark on 3-day coup demonstration on the street of Accra on June 4, with weapons was stopped by the Ghana Police Service.
Fight nearly broke out within the leadership of the group ahead of their press conference Wednesday June 1, as members could loudly be heard trading foul words at each as tempers went haywire.
The usage of the foul language was between Okatakyie Afrifa and another convener of the group.
It took the intervention of some members to calm tempers for the press conference to proceed.
Information gathered indicates that the confusion is about the content of the letter to the police, notifying them about their intention to embark on demonstration with guns.
Already, Okatakyie Afrifa has blamed the situation at the doorstepd of the leadership of the group.
According to him, some of the leaders are becoming selfish and in so doing thereby disrupting the leadership of the group.
That according to Okatakyie Afrifa is against the ideologies of the group.
He warned the leadership to be careful of what they are doing because it will be disgraced at the end of the game.
This comes after #FixTheCountry served a notice to the Police on their decision to embark on a demonstration against the Agyapa deal, cessation of the Achimota Forest Reserve and not to tamper with the country’s security.
In their notice, they requested to be allowed to contract private security personnel to protect the demonstrators.
Among other things, they also notified the Police that the demonstrators and the contracted private security personnel will be armed with weapons.
Also, they stated that the armed demonstrators will picket at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and the Ghana Police Headquarters.
With backlash and public anger against the group, the Fix The Country conveners apologise for the planned armed demonstration.
Again, at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), they will demand to speak directly to the nation on GTV and lay out their grievances.
But the Police in a statement noted that they are unable to provide security for a demonstration which is in flagrant violation of the Public Order Act, 1994 (Act 49) and has the potential to result in a breach of public order and public safety.
According to the Police, they have reached out to the organisers to reconsider their proposal and work with the Police towards the organisation of a lawful, peaceful and successful demonstration.
The demands of the conveners for the demonstration also raised some eyebrows on social media with many people condemning the group.
However, the Fix The Country conveners in their press release acknowledged that their demands for the demonstration was problematic.
“We intend to repair and rebuild public trust by first holding ourselves accountable to the highest democratic principles. Importantly, this includes listening and taking seriously, criticisms. As our elders say, dee otwa sa nnim se n’etsi akyea (the one drawing the line doesn’t know the back is crooked).”
They added that there will be public conversations to engage further concerns that will help shape #FixTheCountry.
“Thank you for your support. We appreciate and respect the criticisms you offer to help strengthen our struggle for a just and fair society,” the conveners added.
Watch excerpt of the video below
By Vincent Kubi