We will continue to resist E-levy – Justice for Ghana
The issue of the Electronic Transaction levy which was conspicuously missing on the Parliament’s order paper for its first sitting left Ghanaians disappointed as they were expecting it to feature considering how it was left off last year.
But the Justice for Ghana Group led by Bernard Mornah is leaving no stone unturned in its quest to see the passage of the E-levy does not materialize as they have pitched camp at one of the gates leading to Parliament in protest of the levy despite getting word that it did not feature in Parliament’s order paper for the day.
For Mr. Mornah and the Justice for Ghana Group, prior to the first sitting Parliament, they had informed the police that they would like to picket against the E- levy inside Parliament House but the group was outside whiles plans were feverishly been made to commence the day’s sitting and Mr. Mornah expressed his disappointment at the police saying “Well, this is not where we wanted to be since we had indicated to the police that we wanted to picket and occupy Parliament House we didn’t say occupy outside Parliament House so they had already received that notification,’’ he said.
He narrated his ordeal with the police saying, “yesterday they called us for clarification and we indicated we wanted to occupy parliament house just as we started coming in I was the first to arrive at 8:30 the Operations Commander of Accra had taken the keys and locked the gate and so I asked why they had locked the gate and they said they will not allow us enter and I also said as for entering I will enter and some of our members are already inside .’’
Mr. Mornah added that because we knew the police will come looking for us because we wear red and beret so you can see some of us are not wearing that if the police think they can outsmart us we have to let them know so our members are inside those of us outside too we are here. That notwithstanding, we will also enter because our notification was not to stay outside Parliament but to occupy Parliament House so if the police decide that they will not to respect the tenets of the public order act the police cannot take us outside of where the event want to be .’’
For Mr. Mornah and his group, there are many routes to the Parliament House and that does not mean they are clashing with police just that they are asserting their rights and not allowing anybody to stampede them and called on the media to help them assert their rights because if their rights are trampled on now yours will be trampled on later.
The former Peoples National Congress chairman would not accept the excuse that we are not in normal times citing the fact that when President Akufo-Addo was at his daughter’s wedding ceremony did not observe social distancing ,During the late Sir John’s funeral did not observe social distancing and during the brawl in parliament did not observe social distancing and quizzed why the police will use it as yardstick not to allow us access into Parliament house .
As the E levy was yet to feature in the order paper Mr Mornah cited how he does not trust the Majority Caucus as they can turn round and sneak it in through certificate of urgency .
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
