Jennifer Queen, Deputy Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has cautioned against calls for disruption of the democratic order in the wake of the Bank of Ghana's financial losses incurred in 2022.
Addressing the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in an interview on Okay FM’s Ade Kyea Bia on August 9, 2023, Queen emphasized that promoting fear and panic among the youth is not a responsible course of action, citing her personal experience during a past coup.
Queen noted, "It seems like our siblings in the opposition wish is that there should be a coup or something dangerous so that the youth will take over, when you listen to their line conversations it is directed towards fear and panic stuff. But let me say this… countries that are experiencing coups and uncertainty… Ghana has experienced similar before, and it is our hope and prayer not to have the same experience again."
Recalling her own encounter during the 1981 coup, Queen shared a story of protecting her younger sibling during the chaos that unfolded. She stated, "I quite remember in 1990, my twin siblings had been born, I was carrying the junior one (Kakra) at my back, my mother was a nurse and had a tent at the Kumasi market, so, Rawlings was firing tear gas, and everyone was running helter-skelter to go and find safety elsewhere."
Queen recounted how she used her hand to shield her sibling from danger, but the attempt resulted in her hand getting injured as a trotro mate (commercial bus conductor) slammed a car door against it.
“My right hand whenever I meet you, I will show it to you, I used my hand to save my sibling Kakra, if not she would have been dead by now.
“I had to sacrifice my hand for the trotro mate to smash it with the car door because the baby’s head was hanging outside.”
While addressing the NDC, Queen encouraged them to seek appropriate channels for addressing their concerns instead of inciting the youth against the government.
She suggested that legal avenues such as court processes are available for expressing dissent. "So, what I am saying is that a coup is not something we should call for, because we have only one Ghana… so if Sammy Gyamfi feels like things are not going on well and he doesn’t understand, he is a lawyer who practices democracy so there is nothing that stops him from taking the issue to court and sue the Bank of Ghana."
AM/SARA
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