Broadcast Journalist, Captain Smart, has said his bravery in speaking up to issues is an act imitated from Ghana’s president, Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Speaking on Smart TV Sunday, May 9, 2021, he indicated President Akufo-Addo’s steadfastness during Rawling’s rule, to champion the “Kume Prɛko” demonstration is what has made him who he is today.
“I learnt this attitude of bravery from you, Nana Addo. Nana Addo, you planned Kume Prɛko and I learnt that bravery from you,” he revealed.
Ghanasonline.com‘s keen monitoring gathered him saying that, Rawlings was preventing people from expressing their feelings during the hardship that engulfed the country then. But President Akufo-Addo amassed the courage, defied the odds and organised that demonstration which paved way for many others to follow during his (Rawlings’) rule.
Mr. Smart revealed that act by President Akufo-Addo, where many NPP leaders who claim they were part of the engineers of Kume Prɛko were afraid, but stood (Akufo-Addo) on his grounds to organise, made him (Smart) realise someone would need to speak at a point in time to put things to work.
“Rawlings was then preventing people from expressing themselves and Akufo-Addo took the mantle and said enough is enough. Many of the NPP leadership then were afraid so when Nana Addo said he’ll go alone if no one joins him, that was when they realised he is determined and joined him. His action paved way for other demonstrations to be organised against Rawlings,” he explained.
He further revealed the subsequent demonstrations that each of the successive governments encountered, saying “18 demonstrations were organised against Rawlings, J.A. Kufuor suffered 41 demonstrations and Kwesi Pratt alone led 19 of those demonstrations. Prof. Mills also received 11 demonstrations, John Mahama had 13 demonstrations so how come today you’re preventing people from doing FixTheCountry?,” he quizzed.
He added that the attempt to stop the citizenry from demonstrating is a timing bomb being hoarded within, and would escalate to something deadly when people cannot contain their grievances anymore.
He said “this culture of silence will not work because we the youth learnt bravery from you. So what happened today that when someone wants to speak, it becomes an issue?”
Mr. Smart urged the youth to keep on talking “to save this country because there’s power in speaking as God himself created the world with His word.”