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Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan has commended the orchestrators of the 1995 "Kume Preko" demonstration.

The ''Kumepreko'' protest was held on Thursday, May 11, 1995 and had in attendance over hundred thousand demonstrators.

What led to the Uprising?

Ex-President Jerry John Rawlings, who came to power in a 1992 military takeover, had cemented his hold through harsh repression of the masses, silenced his critics and suppressed free speech.

Under his military rule, dissenters were either given prison sentences or faced the sentence of death.

Mr. Rawlings' regime was also characterized by hardships and an imposition of Value Added Tax (VAT) on items which resulted in high cost of living.

This and other reasons fueled the demonstration against his reign.

It is reported that some unidentified assailants fired gunshots into the protesters leading to the death of many and several others seriously injured but the leaders of the protest escaped unscathed.

Reunion

25 years down memory lane, the architects of the biggest demonstration in the history of Ghana reunited at the private residence of Mr. Agyeri Blankson at 3rd Circular Road, Cantonments in the Greater Accra Region to celebrate their anniversary.

The meeting was to commemorate their past achievement in ensuring fairness for the people under the military leadership of Mr. Jerry John Rawlings and also to remember lives that were lost during the demonstration.

Honouring the gallantry of the protesters

Kwamena Duncan, speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' hailed President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, seasoned journalists Abdul Malik Kweku Baako and Kwesi Pratt, Dr. Nayarko Tamakloe (Politicians), Akoto Ampaw (Politician), Victor Newman (Politician), Kwaku Opoku (Politician), Napoleon Abdulai (Politician) and Agyeri Blankson (Politician) who led the demonstration against a tyrannical rule by former President Jerry John Rawlings.

He stated that their gallant role in standing up for the rights of the people has left an indelible mark on Ghana's democracy.

"These are the guys, 25 years ago. You've done well. You've played an instrumental role in our democracy. Your names are written in letters of gold," he stated.