Minority stages walk out over legislation for new holidays

The Minority walked out of Parliament today, Thursday to demonstrate their disapproval of the holiday Amendment Bill currently before the House.

The Bill seeks to scrap Republic Day and AU day as public holidays and introduce August 4th as Founders Day and January 7th as Constitution Day.

21st September will be commemorated as Nkrumah Memorial Day.

According to the Minority, the Bill is attempting to revise the history of the country, and thus they will not be part of it.

“We are convinced beyond shadow of doubt that this initiative of an amendment will reduce the honour and respect of our founding father.”

There have been varied views on the celebration of the Constitution Day.

The Head of European Studies at the University of Ghana, Prof. Yaw Gyampo, in a statement on the matter said the celebration of Constitution Day is a celebration of “mediocrity”.

According to him, the 1992 constitution in its current form, “contains monumental hindrances that cannot be glossed over anywhere in the world, where right-thinking people rule,” and as such its celebration is inappropriate.

He rather called for urgent reviews and amendment of the document to bring it at par with core principles of constitutionalism.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has said that the day is to celebrate, the ‘longest’ period of constitutional rule in the country’s history.

According to President Nana Akufo-Addo, the newly instituted holiday is also to acknowledge the collective efforts of Ghanaians in upholding the tenets of democracy.

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Source: citinewsroom