#DumsorMustStop vigil: Let people speak their mind – Political Science Lecturer

Political Science Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr. Evans Aggrey-Darko has cautioned against the politicisation of the #?dumsormuststop vigil being organised by some Ghanaian celebrities.

Organisers of the vigil, Yvonne Nelson, Sarkodie, Lydia Forson and others, have been accused of doing the bidding of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) – an accusation they have flatly rejected.

The celebrities announced the vigil slated for May 16 to protest the power crisis, referred to locally as ‘Dumsor’.

The vigil, which is expected to be a peaceful procession by the celebrities and their fans with lit candles, torchlights, and lanterns, is an offshoot of a social media campaign #?dumsormuststop that Yvonne Nelson started.

Lawyers for Yvonne Nelson and Sarkodie wrote to the Greater Accra regional police command to inform them of the vigil. The police last Thursday gave the celebrities the green light to hold the vigil.

Speaking on Rhythms A to Z on Joy FM with Mamavi Owusu-Aboagye Saturday, Dr. Aggrey-Darko said the celebrities are doing nothing wrong in their quest to put pressure on government to fix the power crisis.

He said, “We are creating a system as though once some people dissent, it means they are against the system but no two people are the same. There is the tendency for us to rubbish people who do not agree with us and if we are going to go that line, I think we are going to [create] a dangerous society for ourselves.”

“It is important that we build the capacity of individuals and let people speak their mind. We grew up in a society where even if you are a kid in the house you don’t have a voice and that is why we are literally producing very timid students,” the Political Science Lecturer noted.

Dr. Aggrey-Darko explained that, “If you are cooking for me in the house and I think the food is not good, what stops me from saying that ‘look I am not interested in this food that you are preparing, next time can you revise the menu such that we can have the best result.’”

Kofi Bentil, lawyer for the organizers of the vigil, also speaking on the show warned the country could be in for a dire economic crisis if government is not pressured to fix the power crisis.

According to him, “This matter is a grave issue and we need to focus on that. They have moved from an energy crisis to an economic crisis. It is bringing this whole country down and those who want to detract from this must understand that if you stop people from protesting peacefully you make a violent revolution inevitable. Let them vent, let them go there in a solemn way and just air what they believe is wrong with this thing because [the crisis] can be dealt with.”

Authorities of the University of Ghana and managers of the Total Ghana, owners of On-The-Run, last week turned down requests by organizers of the vigil to use their premises as the convergence point for the event.

Both outfits stated the organizers had no permission to use their premises.

Asked if they have a venue for the vigil, Mr. Bentil said the venue for the vigil is the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange but “we the leaders agreed with the police that we are going to proceed from the area around the [University of Ghana] stadium, proceed on street by the pavement walk quietly in a vigil with our candles to the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange.”

Yvonne Nelson and the other celebrities, he added, “will be walking from the bridge in front of On-The-Run quietly by the side of the road in one nice procession to Tetteh Quarshie Interchange.”

By: Ernest Dela Aglanu