Change time for Independence parade – Chair of Gh@60 proposes

General News of Wednesday, 7 March 2018

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2018-03-07

Ken Amankwah CommitteeKen Amankwah, Chairman of Ghana@60 planning committee

The Chairman of Ghana@60 planning committee has suggested that the annual parade on March 6, should be moved to 4:00 in the evening.

Ken Amankwah believes that, in a bid to curb the repetitive collapse of students and some security personnel due to the long hours parading under the sun, the time should be shifted.

“…if you ask me personally, maybe we should consider moving this parade to about 4:00 in the evening,” he told Daniel Dadzie on the mid-day news on Joy News TV Wednesday.

He, however, added that there may be security implications considering that the state will host a number of foreign dignitaries.

Mr. Amankwah also disagreed with the view that the parade and marchpast should be scrapped entirely.

“The parade is the most important part of the celebration. If you remove it, it’s like taking the heart out of any living being,” he said.

“If you take the parade out, what else do we do,” he asked.

Explaining the essence of the parade, Mr. Amankwah said: “it is to show off our military strength to our neighbours…that if any country dares to attack us, they will be there to protect and defend us”.

“It is traditional and it’s something which has been there for a very long time,” he added.

He also suggested that “unless we are prepared to think of something else in replacement,” Ghana cannot let the March 6 parade go.

Mr. Amankwah’s comments come at the back of multiple and repetitive collapses of some students and security personnel during the annual March 6 parades.

On March 6, 2018, Accra alone recorded 35 cases of students collapsing.

The District Chief Executive for Wassa East District, in the Western Region, Wilson Arthur was also reported to have collapsed while reading the President’s speech to the gathering.

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