A founding member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has asked Ghanaian leaders to be wary of taking the citizens for granted, following recent developments in Kenya.
He says if politicians continue to pursue their political interest rather than the needs of the people that give them power to represent them, what happened in Kenya will be replicated in Ghana.
The former football administrator says his experience with protests in Ghana casting his mind back gives him the impression that the Ghanaian youth is not different from the Kenyan youth.
In a telephone interview with Johnnie Hughes on 3FM’s Sunrise Thursday, June 27, 2024, Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe said nobody, in their wildest imagination, should think what happened in Kenya cannot happen in Ghana.
“The onus rests on the political elites who will get the votes of the people to come into parliament and it is their duty to make sure that the needs of the people are met. But when they come there, what they should do for the people they don’t do. They rather stick to their own personal interest. And it appears it has been the norm for almost all political parties and this is very disturbing.
“If we are not careful, what is happening in Kenya now, I will never say it can never happen here. I have around for a while and I have seen a lot and when I look at what happened in Kenya, it reflexes my mind on certain things that happened in this country years ago,” the NPP
Several people were killed and hundreds injured as thousands of demonstrators stormed Kenya’s parliament to protest a controversial tax bill on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
Police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds.
At least three of the dead were shot as protesters overwhelmed police as they entered and set fire to parts of the parliament buildings.
Addressing the nation, Kenyan President William Ruto called the storming of parliament promised to prevent it from happening again “at whatever cost.”
The protests forced lawmakers to flee the legislature where earlier they had debated and passed the unpopular bill.
The bill included new taxes on items such as bread, vegetable oil, sugar, and manufactured goods, including sanitary towels and diapers. The government says the taxes are necessary to fund development programs and reduce the country’s public debt.
Resign like Justice Amissah did honourably in 1979 – Nyaho-Tamakloe to Dame
