Demo Hits Mahama In New York

The demonstrators in front of the Marriot hotel in New York

On Thursday, September 27, around 6pm, several placard-wielding Ghanaians in New York stormed the luxurious Marriot Marquis Hotel to express their displeasure about what they described as the increasing spate of corruption and selective justice in Ghana.

The protest, organized under the auspices of a group calling itself Concerned Citizens of Ghana, chose the venue of the demonstration during President John Dramani Mahama's trip to the US last week when he attended the 67th session of the UN General Assembly meeting.

According to DAILY GUIDE sources in New York, scores of people from New York and its environs converged on the president's hotel and began hooting and shouting, the intensity of which was enough to attract the attention of passers-by.

The demonstrators, made up of men and women, waved placards with several inscriptions with messages such as; 'Corruption President Mahama', 'President Mahama Is Responsible For The Most Corrupt International Loan Agreement In Ghana's History STX KOREA Deal', ''President Mahama, The World Is Watching You', 'President Mahama Is Using Ghanaian Workers' Pension Scheme To Service His Brother's Loan'.

Some of the protesters also included foreigners who either invest in Ghana or have connections to Ghana through marriage etc.

Top on the list of demands made by the New York demonstrators was a call for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government to arrest and prosecute the NDC's national organiser, Yaw Boateng Gyan for the incriminating scheme he was hatching with his accomplices in the infamous secret tape released some weeks ago.

Furthermore, they charged the president to stem corruption in his government and also called for the halt of the creation of the controversial 45 new constituencies. According to them, the timing was not favorable, and that, any misunderstanding that might stem out of these avoidable constituencies might degenerate into 'something else'.

According to Amponsah Stonash, a New York-based Ghanaian and a member of the Concerned Citizens of Ghana, even though the organizers had only two days to stage the demonstration, they were impressed by the massive turn-out of the perennially busy New York residents.

Mr. Stonash told DAILY GUIDE that as partners of development of Ghana, they were proud of themselves to have seized the opportunity of the president's presence in New York to stage their demonstration.

Information reaching DAILY GUIDE indicates that upon picking up hints of the demonstration, the NDC quickly organized a counter-demonstration group, numbering about 50 people who were reportedly hired by the NDC's New York Youth Organizer at a fee of $100 each.

According to Mr. Stonash, it took the timely intervention of New York Police Department to avert a bloody clash between the two opposing groups.

The New York demonstration is a reminiscence of a similar one that was staged on Friday, June 29, 2012 when scores of angry London-based Ghanaians stormed the premises of the Ghana High Commission in UK to register their displeasure at the governance style of the NDC administration.

By Raphael Adeniran