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Avoid propaganda; tell the truth - WANEP warns govt

By MyJoyOnline
General News Avoid propaganda; tell the truth - WANEP warns govt
NOV 21, 2014 LISTEN

Power providers have warned against playing on the intelligence of Ghanaians and thereby adopting a propaganda approach in dealing with the power crisis.

Businesses are bearing the brunt of an ongoing haphazard load shedding exercise; residents are fed up with the incessant power cuts culminating in pockets of demonstrations in Accra, Kumasi and some parts of the country.

Many more communities are planning a destructive demonstration to register their displeasure with the disorganized way electricity distributer – Electricity Company of Ghana – is rationing power.

National Coordinator of the West African Network for Peacebuilding, WANEP, Isaac Bayor told Francis Abban on Joy FM's Top Story Friday that doing propaganda with the current crisis could spark unsuspecting security crises.

Telling the people what the problem actually is, using a face to face or community meeting approach could spare the government, and for that matter, ECG installations which have been the target of these angry demonstrations.

He is hopeful meeting the people at their doorsteps and giving them information they need to know would address the issue once and for all.

“Communicators of these institutions should inform the citizens the actual state but not propaganda, of course they will reason up with them and exercise restraint to ensure that things are happening the way they should to be happening,” he pointed out.

Mr. Bayor maintained: “Let me assure you that continuous explanations and appealing to the conscience of Ghanaians genuinely, let me underline the word genuinely, but not trying to gloss over issues and not trying to play on the conscience and intelligence of Ghanaians, of course people will understand, [otherwise] they will hit the streets to register their displeasure which will not be good for the security of Ghana.”

Yesterday, at the Kumasi Airport roundabout, residents attacked an ECG installation. Some residents of Aboabo in the Asawase constituency who are unhappy about the erratic power supply and are demanding action and promising a massive demonstration tomorrow.

The Member of Parliament for the area, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed described the development as "very sad".

He had to travel to Kumasi in an attempt to forestall the impending demonstration, but he told Top Story people are distancing themselves from the action, making it difficult to nip it in the bud.

He said he has been in touch with the Chief Imam there as well as other opinion leaders to map a strategy to get in touch with the organisers.

They were moving from mosque to mosque to educate the youth, he said and to possibly “fish out” any group that would want to demonstrate.

He said he himself has complained about the issue to the regional manager and appealed to the residents to remain calm. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com| Isaac Essel | [email protected] | twitter @isaacessel

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