"The king is naked", Occupy Flagstaff House protesters charge

Over 300 protesters have marched to the Flagstaff House in an unprecedented demonstration summed up in one  protester’s placard –  “the King is naked”.
The placard draws parallels with the children’s fable. The Emperor’s New Clothes, about a ruler who had an invisible robe made, but no one had the courage to tell him he was naked.
The protest was organised by a non-partisan group calling itself Concerned Ghanaians for Responsible Governance (CGRG) who were bent on petitioning President John Mahama on what it says are the worsening economic conditions in the country.
Dubbed ‘Occupy Flagstaff House’, the organisers says they are tired of talking about hardship on social media and have decided to take their issues to the head of state himself.
The march on the seat of government coincides with Ghana’s 54th Republic Day, the day the country broke away from British colonial rule.
The march started out modestly small, mainly hampered by rain, but gained momentum, setting off the Efua Sunderland Children’s Park bound for the Flagstaff House.
Only three protesters were allowed into the Flagstaff House to present their petition to the president.
Comprising of a middle class and elite gathering, protesters included academics, corporate leaders and entrepreneurs.
“The things that are happening the perceived corruption should be stopped,” former MTN Chief Marketing Officer George Andah said. “Employers are branded wicked by their staff if they are unable to pay their salaries”.
Others who couldn’t make the demonstration took to social media to express their disappointment at the country’s current state.
The President has been heavily criticised for chartering a flight to take over US$6.7million to pay Black Stars players at a time when the country was facing fuel shortages and load shedding.
The march on the Flagstaff House follows an emotive demonstration last month in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, which drew hundreds of people. At the time, the demonstration was dismissed as a ploy by the National Patriotic Party to tarnish the government’s image.