Disregard 01 July as Ghana’s Republic Day and opt for 07 January as Republic Day

The Holy Bible at Hosea 4:6 decreed ‘My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge …... ‘’ So, I hereby state without fear of contradiction that beside Leadership crisis, Corruption or Dishonesty as the banes of National Development, Ghanaians’ failure to appreciate very well on Constitutional Issues or National Issues (hence Social issues, Economic issues and Political issue) is also the reason why Ghana is not progressing very fast. This is not about the silly politics of both NPP and NDC but the politics of Ghana, meaning the way of life of Ghana, hence the facts of Ghana.

So, enter the topic on disregarding 01 July as a holiday. Before 2018, Ghanaians use to enjoy and celebrate 01 July as a Republic Day Holiday thus include the era of some of the Military Dictators who crucified some Ghanaians and did not allow freedom of expressions and movements in the night due to curfews and thus contributed to the destruction of the full development of the 24 hours economy.

It thus gave a very clear picture that even the Military Authorities did not understand why 01 July was celebrated as a Republic or Democratic Constitutional Day. So, yesterday, that is on 01 July 2024 and today 02 July 20124, there were several heated debates on the cancellation of 01 July as a public holiday. These happened on some of the local media houses including Peace FM on their flagship current affairs program of Kokrokoo with Chairman General Kwame Sefa Kayi as the host with one of the panelists as Mrs Ursula Owosu-Ekufu on 01 July 2024 and today (02 July 2024) with Hon Mr Kwasi Pratt as one of the panelists.

Some of the panelists in some of the media houses including Peace FM exhibited gross ignorance on matters on a Republic Day or went too far when they claimed that the cancellation of 01 July as a holiday in Ghana demonstrated a deep hatred by the NPP administrations especially that of President Nana Addo against Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, reportedly one time as his (Nana Addo’s) former mentor.

This situation, has the tendency of polarizing the nation. Consequently, this submission is to an attempt to help change the narrative in order to help sustain national cohesion as originated by President Kwame Nkrumah, with a unitary State of Ghana, with a common destiny. It is envisaged that this submission may also be a good source of info for future generations to apprehend the very good reason for the cancellation of 01 July as a public holiday in Ghana.

It is not debatable that Dr Kwame Nkrumah is our greatest President of Ghana as well as the most influential advocate of Pan Africanism to date, hence Nkrumah never dies. He is the greatest founding father of the Nation if not the founder of the Nation due to our usual childish political division or colorization. It must be made clear to those who do not regard Dr Nkrumah as the founder of Ghana that Nkrumah is Ghana and Ghana is Nkrumah. Ghana never dies so Nkrumah never dies. So, no one can debase him.

But to link the cancellation of 01 July as a holiday for a very genuine reason to an alleged hatred for President Dr Nkrumah tells the lack of knowledge on the differences between Republic Day and Independence Day as achieved by Dr Kwame Nkrumah for the Gold Coast and as a result metamorphosed to a new name as Ghana. The matter really speaks volumes of a lack of critical reasoning on national issues.

Our forefathers with Dr Kwame Nkrumah as the Leader or Champion or Risk Owner of the process fought and won Independence or self-governance or national sovereignty from the British on 06 March 1957. But between 6^th March 1957 and 1^st July 1960 the Monarch of the British Monarchy, then the Queen, namely Queen Elizabeth was the Titular Head of State of Ghana, hence the Commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces with the Chief of Defence as a British Officer supported by other British as the Officers in the Military, lastly with the Governor General of Ghana who was Sir Charles Noble Arden-Clarke.

It should be acknowledge that between 1957 and today 02 July 2024, Ghana had several liberations days brought about by the Military Regimes but notwithstanding this situations, Ghana had and could only have one Independence Day that is 6th March hence worth celebrating. But between the same periods, Ghana experienced several Democratic Republics (Constitutions of Ghana) with only one Republic or Constitution of Ghana that is meaningful to Ghana. As such, worth celebrating and that is the 07 January which marked the Fourth Republic which ended oppressors or Authoritarian rule brought about with Military Coup defats. So the celebration is a day of sober reflection to current and future generations the to say never again.

Thus one can picture that Republic is a form of Government where power is held by elected representatives in Parliament and elected Head of State, So like the Vice President of Kenya said after the demo against the taxes, that they the elected policy makers are the servants of the people or the Nation this tells the dividends or the truth of Democratic Republic Nation.

So Republic deals with protection of the Republic as demo by the youth of Kenya while Independence is about the state of being free from external control or influence that is establishment of self-governance and sovereignty.

So on 01 July 1960 Ghana was simply declared as an Independent Country with continuous Civilian Constitutional Rule after Independence the only matter was that it characterized Ghana with Democratic Republic credential. Gained per the normal requirement of a Referendum through universal suffrage which say 88 percent of eligible voters who voted in favour of a new Constitution which designated Ghana as only a Democratic Republic State.

Unfortunately, this First Republic was not sustained hence no need to celebrate 01 July as a holiday because the Military and some of their civilian cohorts saw the first Republic as bad one or felt a had a serious blotches in the nation’s development after independence so it was overthrown.

It must be noted that a Constitution for a Country hence for the First Republic spelt out the Institutions and Mechanisms to anchor the First Republic in order to deliver public good.

So among others the Constitution of the First Republic, which deals Constitutional Institutions and mechanisms to meet public good especially sharing of delegated sovereign power from the people, separation of the powers with checks and balances and a change from the Parliamentary System of Government with a Prime Minister to an Executive Presidential System with the President as the Head of State, Head of National Executive, Head of Government and Commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces.

Unfortunately, the First Republic was overthrown in a Military Coup on 24^th February 1966, by the Coup, the Military overthrew the First Republic or the 01 July 1960 Constitution that anchored the First Republic. So they dissolved Parliament, overthrew the Executive President and assumed both Executive and Legislative Authorities. Hence, a person with a critical thinking mindset or common sense will tell that with the 1966 Military Coup, 01 July was no more a Republic day of Ghana since there was no Democratic Republic or Constitutional rule hence 01 July as Republic of Ghana was moot or lost its practical significance. Since, it was replaced by force by a Military Regime thus the Military regime was not placed in government by the electorates to represent and rule them.

A referendum in 1968, approved the 1969 Constitution which ushered in and anchored the Second Republic of Ghana with a Parliamentary System of Government. The Second Republic was also overthrown by the Military on 13 January 1972. The 1969 Constitution was proscribed, Parliament dissolved, the Military assumed both Executive and Legislative Powers in Ghana. Hence both the first and second Republic of Ghana were given a deadly blows or made moot or lost their practical significance since the second regime of the Military was also not placed in government by the electorates to represent and rule them.

Enter the 1979 Constitution which brought about the Third Republic of Ghana. The 1979 Constitution was also proscribed, Parliament dissolved, the Military again assumed both Executive and Legislative Powers in Ghana. Hence both the first Republic of Ghana was given a further deadly blows or made moot or lost their practical significance since the second regime of the Military was not placed in government by the electorate to represent and rule them.

The third Republic was also overthrown. Thanks to God and the people of Ghana, 07 January 1992, saw the Fourth Republic of Ghana, ushered and anchored by the 1992 Constitution which sustained the Fourth Republic for over 30 years which saw the regimes of five Executive Presidents as date July 2024. Resulted in the birth to the First to the Eighth Parliaments of the Fourth Republic of Ghana. This was not the situation with the Constitution of the First Republic which was associated with 01 July and thus associated with one regime of a Head of State of Ghana in the person of Dr Nkrumah with a short duration of Parliamentary work.

It was also not the situation with the Second Republic with 1969 Constitution with a sole regime of Prime Minister Dr Busia with a short duration of Parliamentary work nor the situation with the Third Republic with the 1979 Constitution of President Dr Liman with a short duration of Parliamentary work.

Consequently, as stated a critical thinking on the matter or common sense will tell that 07 January and not 01 July should be a holiday since a very durable Democratic Republic Constitution started on 07 January in Ghana. Hence 07 January is a landmark day in the History of this Country, so 07 January should be a day of significant holiday as Republic or a Constitutional Day which we should celebrate for the long period of rights and freedom enjoyed since 07 January, the day that marked the end of military rule or coups in Ghana. So 07 January should be really a very great day to remind that never again to entertain acts military hegemony with the associated brutalities and oppressions, denial of 24 hour economy, of course depending on demand and supply.

So to sum up, it must be made clear that Republic Day is about a day of democratic constitutional bedrock of a Nation. So, based on the history of the various Constitutions of Ghana which anchored the various Republics in the case of Ghana, the First Republic, marked by the day of 01 July and the days that marked the subsequent Republics such as the Second Republic, the Third Republic and the Fourth Republic, it is only the day or the Constitution of 07 January and not the Constitution of 01 July or the other Republics of Ghana that delineated a real democratic Republic.

As such, the 1992 Constitution of the Fourth Republic gave the principles that shaped a Democratic Republic of Ghana for over 30 years and is shaping or will be shaping the nation’s identity for longer time and will therefore be highlighting the nation’s commitment to democracy or democratic credentials. Hence let us have 07 January as holiday to reflect and say never again for military coup in Ghana.

So, we need to ensure entrenchment of Constitutional Rule by upholding, preserving, protecting and defending the 1992 Constitution and do amend the Constitution as when necessary. Hence, we need tone down the fiery of populism and or fight against inflaming the nation by populists but use Constitutional and legal institutions/instruments like the Judiciary, CHRAJ, Accountant General, the Office of the Attorney General, Parliament, Bank of Ghana, Minerals Commission, Land Commission, the Media Commission, the Police etc as provided by the Constitution and Statutory Bodies as Provided by Parliament such as State Regulators/Monitors like the Boards, EPA, National Pension Regulatory Authority for political and or legal questions.

Republic Day should not be confused with Independence Day, the day Independence was won for Ghana by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, which is about political and historical matter of gaining freedom. Thus Independence to some Nations, commemorates the bravery and spirit of the freedom fighters who bravely fought for the nation’s independence from colonial rule. Republic Day on the other hand is just about a day which marked Constitutional Democratic Republic. Period.