Gov’t must listen to #FixTheCountry campaigners, not demonise them – Mahama

Former President, John Dramani Mahama has admonished the Akufo-Addo government to pay maximum attention to the concerns raised by the #FixTheCountry movement.

Former President Mahama also denied being a financier of the #FixTheCountry demonstration recently staged in Accra.

He has therefore described as an “absolute lie”, a claim by communicators of the ruling NPP government that he sponsored the demonstration with an amount of GHC1.5 million.

The former president was expressing concerns about youth unemployment in the country, when he addressed the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs on Tuesday, while on a “Thank You” tour of the region.

He said youth unemployment was a major problem in Africa, citing recent agitations by youth in Nigeria to buttress his point.

“In Nigeria, they had the SARS movement – it was like a rebellion against police repression but who are those who took part in the SARS movement? It was the unemployed youth. And the point is; let’s not think that if you are enriching yourself, you are safe. When the youth rise up, they think that everyone who is living a good life is one of the people oppressing them and that is why they cannot get jobs so if you are driving a nice car, they will break your glass and molest you”, he said.

Mr. John Mahama said such a situation should not be allowed to occur in Ghana.

Touching on the #FixTheCountry Movement in Ghana, the 2020 Presidential Candidate of the NDC added that although the youth involved in the movement did not engage in acts of vandalism, the government should not take their concerns for granted.

“And so, when government think that these young people; we must demonise them…it’s not because of NPP. It’s all of us. They are expressing dissatisfaction in our collective leadership and the earlier we listen to them, dialogue with them, the better”, Mr. Mahama said and went on to deny claims that he sponsored activities of the #FixTheCountry movement.

“And the government communicators go and lie that I have given them [#FixTheCountry] 85, 000 pounds and I have given them 1.5 million cedis for their demonstration. Absolute lie! Those old Machiavellian tactics don’t work. I haven’t given ‘fix it’ one single cedi”, he said.

Mr. John Mahama said he believed that the ruling government was only spreading those lies to create the impression that leaders of the #FixTheCountry Movement had collected money, so as to detach the leadership from their followers.