Isaac Jay Hyde, the Deputy National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has described the selective application of justice, the treatment of citizens and the lack of transparency in governance during today’s protest organised by the party.
“Well, I mean, it’s not supposed to be a peaceful, I mean, demonstration, and if that’s what’s at stake, then there has to be some sort of transparency, right?” the protester said.
He criticised the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and political leaders for what he described as attempts to suppress free speech.
According to him, even when citizens are arrested, their rights are not fully respected. “They’ve attempted to some kind of regularity for those who have been arrested. It’s the instance where the PNP’s election committee, the right to counsel, and things that we see, you know, coming up today.”
The protester further cited incidents of journalists facing intimidation. “It’s not an instance where a journalist was slapped by a bully gang just because the person was doing his or her work. Again, we have to see this as well.”
He argued that ordinary Ghanaians are increasingly being subjected to arbitrary arrests, often for raising concerns in the media.
“I mean, as the Ghanaians are just getting arrested, probably sometimes raising concerns about what is observed on the media plane, in light of, say, Obama was arrested, for example, that we think that if we as an NPP, a party that champions the repeal of the criminal libel law and our advocacy for a democratic representation, if we don’t stand up for the Ghanaian people, maybe eight people today, tomorrow it could be even bigger.”
He warned that the trend could escalate if unchecked. “I don’t know, there’s 10 persons who could be affected, maybe another nine persons working, I don’t know if we have the support of the people that are affected. So you see us here, this is where we are going with the demonstration.”
The protester ended by referencing past political struggles and the sacrifices made by those who stood for justice. “So let me quickly go to the President’s statement—during the time you were in prison, you were talking about people who you loved and cared for.”
The demonstration, dubbed Yɛn Suro Ahunahuna, drew hundreds of supporters, all pressing the government to end what they describe as selective justice and intimidation of citizens.
