Dumsor vigil organisers, police, Ga Traditional Council meet today
The police, organisers of the dumsor vigil and the Ga Traditional Council are scheduled to meet today to take a decision on whether the vigil should go ahead or not, in view of the ban on noise-making in the Ga State.
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The meeting has become necessary in view of the petition which has been sent by the Ga Traditional Council to the police to prevent the organisers of the vigil from going ahead because it contravenes the ban on noise-making.
At a meeting between the legal representatives of the organisers of the vigil and the police at the Accra Regional Police Command yesterday, no conclusive decision was reached, hence the scheduled meeting today.
Meeting with the police
The Accra Regional Police Command invited the organisers of the vigil to yesterday’s meeting following the petition from the Ga Traditional Council.
The meeting was attended by lawyer for one of the organisers of the dumsor vigil, Yvonne Nelson, Mr Akwasi Awuah, and her manager, Kofi Bentil, who explained that because the event was a vigil, there would not be excessive noise-making.
“The organisers assured the police that they were doing everything possible to ensure that any noise made was within the permissible level,” the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, ASP Effia Tenge, said after the meeting.
She said it was later agreed that “it would be better to meet all the parties before a firm decision could be taken”.
Celebrated rapper, Sarkodie, and actress Yvonne Nelson had scheduled May 16, 2015 to hold a vigil in support of a campaign to bring pressure on the government to end the power crisis (Dumsor).
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The less-than-three-hour vigil is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. and end at the Tetteh-Quarshie Interchange about 6:30 p.m.
At an earlier meeting last week, the possibility of the ban on drumming and noise-making in the Ga State affecting the vigil was discussed but the organisers assured the police that it was going to be a quiet procession.
Additionally, the venue for the commencement of the procession was changed from the University of Ghana Stadium to the forecourt of the On the Run eatery at Legon.
Yet there are reports that the managers of the On the Run have indicated that the venue will not be available to the organisers of the vigil on that date.
La Traditional Council
Mr Bentil said the organisers would abide by the law which stipulated that organisers of demonstrations or such social events must notify the police “and if the police have a problem, they can proceed to court”.
He confirmed that the organisers had received the concerns of the Ga Traditional Council and were ready to respect the traditions without necessarily impeding their right to free expression.
He said the organisers were determined to make the vigil “as peaceful and quiet as possible. The rule of law will prevail. We will not breach any rules”.
The La Traditional Council is reported to have indicated that the location for the vigil was within its jurisdiction.
The Chief Priest of the La Traditional Area, Nii Yemoh Obroni VII, said the council had not placed a ban on drumming and noise-making yet and indicated that the ban would take effect in July.
Writer’s email: emelia.ennin@graphic.com.gh