NDC government will revert Nana Addo’s new holidays – Agbana

General News of Friday, 14 December 2018

Source: citifmonline.com

2018-12-14

Eric Edem Agbana .jpegNDC Deputy Youth Organizer, Eric Edem Agbana

The National Democratic Congress (NDC), will reverse the decision by the current government to introduce 4th August and 7th January as new statutory public holidays.

This is the indication from the party’s Deputy Youth Organizer, Eric Edem Agbana.

Speaking on Citi TV’s Breakfast Daily Show on Friday, Edem Agbana said the August 4 holiday proposed by the government for an amendment, was a deliberate attempt to downplay the efforts of Ghana’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana’s independence from British governance.

The government on Thursday tabled an amendment to the Public Holiday Act to remove Republic Day and African Union Day marked annually on July 1 and May 25 respectively, as statutory holidays.

Also, it is seeking to make January 7, tagged Constitution day and August 4, to be known as Founders’ day, a statutory public holiday.

The government had earlier stated that 21st September which was previously celebrated as Founder’s day in honour of Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, who is credited as leading the country to independence was to be renamed Nkrumah Memorial Day.

The government contended that celebrating the day as Founder’s day with Ghana’s independence achievement credited solely to Nkrumah was wrong as others including the Dr. J.B. Danquah also played key roles in the country’s independence struggle.

The government said in its statement that, [August 4, is] “obviously the most appropriate day to signify our recognition and appreciation of the collective efforts of our forebears towards the founding of a free, independent Ghana.

August 4 is noted as the date for the formation of the Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society by John Mensah Sarbah in 1897, and the formation of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) in 1947 by J.B. Danquah and George Alfred “Paa” Grant.

Some persons and groups including the Convention People’s Party which was formed by Kwame Nkrumah criticized the government for the declaration, describing it as an attempt to rewrite the country’s history.

Eric Agbana believes the amendment will give a wrong impression about Ghana’s history.

“I will not be surprised if parliament irrespective of the facts available, irrespective of what the true history of Ghana is, go ahead to pass this. Anytime that the NDC government comes back to parliament, we will make sure that we will reverse this, we will repeal this and make sure that we get the 21st September and celebrate it properly as the Founder’s day,” he said.

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