Speaker wants Ghana’s Republic Day changed to January 7

pulse-ghana admin

January 10, 2018 1:57 AM

Prof. Mike Ocquaye has argued that Ghana's Republic Day should be moved from July 1 to January 7.

Speaker of Parliament Prof. Mike Ocquaye has called for Ghana’s Republic Day to be moved from the 1st of July to the 7th of January.

According to him, it is erroneous to use a date in Ghana’s First Republic to mark the country’s Republic Day, whiles we are actually in the Fourth Republic.

Ghana became a Republic on 1st July 1960 after Dr Kwame Nkrumah was sworn into office as the nation’s very first president.

The date has since been known as Ghana’s Republic Day and is observed as a statutory public holiday each year.

However, Prof Ocquaye believes it is wrong to continue to mark July 1 as the Ghana’s Republic Day.

In an opinion piece published in the Daily Graphic, the Speaker argued that the day when the Fourth Republic began is the proper date that should be recognized as Ghana’s Republic Day.

He is, therefore, calling for a change of date from the 1st of July to the 1st of January.

“In 1960 Ghana became a republic. However, in 1966 that was overthrown by a military coup led by Kotoka, and the 1st Republic ended,” Prof Ocquaye stated in the article, which is titled 'What is the Republic Day in Ghana?'

“The 2nd Republic came into being in 1969. That republic also came to an end in another coup led by General Acheampong. In 1979 we had the 3rd Republic led by President Limann. Rawlings staged the 31st December Revolution/Coup in 1981 and ended the 3rd Republic.

“On January 7, 1993, the 4th Republic was brought into being and Chairman Rawlings became a constitutional President.”

He added that “7th January 1993 is the ‘Republic Day’ of the Republic of Ghana. May God bless our homeland Ghana, May He save the Republic – the only Republic in current and legal terms – 7th January 1993.”

The Speaker’s latest campaign to have the country’s Republic Day changed is bound to divide opinion among Ghanaians.

This comes after he suggested last year that Dr Nkrumah is not the founder of Ghana and that it is not appropriate to acknowledge him as Ghana’s sole founder when a host of others also fought for the country to achieve independence.

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