Lead Convener of the Democracy Hub, Oliver Barker-Vormawor has asserted that the level of activism that existed in the past has been killed and overtaken by partisanship and student political movements such as Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) and Tertiary Students Confederacy (TESCON).
TEIN is affiliated with the National Democratic Congress(NDC), while TESCON is affiliated with the National Patriotic Party (NPP).
The Ghana Police Service arrested Oliver Barker-Vormawor, lead convener of the Democracy Hub protest, on Monday, September 23, 2024, due to allegations of unlawful conduct during the group’s demonstration on September 21-22. Although Vormawor was arrested alongside 53 others for their involvement in the #StopGalamsey protest, he was denied bail, citing the need for further investigation and potential public unrest if he was released.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor was later released from police custody on Monday, October 21, 2024, after meeting a GHS 20,000 bail condition with two sureties.
In an interview on Starr Chat with Bola Ray, Mr. Barker-Vormawor stated that although the level of activism has been overshadowed by partisan politics and student political groups like Tein and Tescon, the #StopGalamsey protest sparked and revived a renewed sense of activism particularly among the youth.
According to him, the youth hit the streets to call for the release of the protesters and demand measures to be laid down to tackle the galamsey menace.
“I haven’t seen so many people descend onto the streets, young people, demanding that citizens who had been arrested be freed. For me, it is telling me something, and perhaps you grew up in an era where we saw more of that activism on the campuses. Now the universities, the level of activism in the Universities has been killed, overtaken by Tein and Tescon and partisanship. This is the first time that we are building political consciousness outside of the university campuses, just in the general society, where young people are stepping out, and making a policy issue around Galamsey”, he stated.
He continued, “The people mobilized on social media and stepped up. The people held a vigil, demanding that people be released and that the conversation about Galamsey must be re-centered. Labor unions pressed the government for them to say that we’re going to introduce legislation that stops mining in forest reserves.”
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Salimatu Nuhu
