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#NameAndShame tops Twitter trends to expose politicians

The #Fixthecountrynow online protest has taken a different turn as social media users name and shame non-performing MPs and government appointees.

#NameAndShame, an offshoot of #Fixthecountrynow and #FixGhanaNow, had over 80,000 Tweets as of Friday afternoon.

A social media influencer, KalyJay, announced the hashtag Thursday night after pro-government social media users reported the earlier hashtags to be taken down.

The protesters hold the view that President Akufo-Addo and his appointees have failed in addressing the needs of Ghanaians.

Several Ghanaians poured out on Twitter to vent their frustrations after the announcement of price hikes in fuel and telecommunication services.

 

The price increase is happening at a time of frequent power cuts with an expected power rationing in the coming days.

Other concerns highlighted by the angry social media users include high taxes, unemployment, dilapidated health system, high accommodation rate, poor road networks, and general hardships.

The group planned a demonstration on May 9, 2021, but was subsequently injuncted by an Accra High Court.

The judge said until the restriction on public gathering has been lifted, nobody could hold any demonstration.

Unrelenting by the ban, the group decided to name and shame legislators and officials of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government who have failed to fulfil their promises to their constituents.

Why May 9th

The group chose May 9th because “it captures the restless spirit of over 126 Ghanaians who lost their lives in the May 9th Accra Sports Stadium Disaster due to institutionalized incompetence and disregard for Ghanaian lives”.

Additionally,  the protest is aimed at commemorating the 26th Anniversary of the Kume Preko Demonstration of May 11th, 1995.

“Thus, the event draws inspiration from the undying culture of protest and dissent that has forged our democracy, and which Kume Preko has become a synonym for in our collective memory.

Kume Preko was the name given to an anti-government demonstration that occurred in Ghana in 1995, led by Charles Wereko Brobbey.

The protest took place in opposition to the Value Added Tax (VAT) initiative, which was introduced under the Jerry John Rawlings administration.

It is said to have been one of the biggest protests ever organized in the country, with an estimated 100,000 people participating.

The demonstration was initially billed as a peaceful protest but quickly became violent when unidentified assailants shot live bullets into the crowd resulting in the deaths of a few protestors.

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