A member of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament has explained that it is illegal for the government to declare Monday, January 7, as a statutory public holiday.
Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor, who is also the Member of Parliament for South Dayi said Parliament has not amended the 1992 Constitution of Ghana to include 7th January as a statutory public holiday but the government has gone ahead to declare the day as such.
The government on New Year’s eve announced 7th January as a public holiday to be celebrated as Constitutional Day.
Reacting to the issue on Onua FM’s Yen Sempa on Monday, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP said “I don’t understand the constitution day…what Constitutional authority did they use to declare the holiday?”
Mr. Dafeamekpor said “government brought a bill to amend the public holiday act and that bill has not been passed.
“It came on the 21st December when we were busily talking and considering the budget so that bill has not been considered. It will be considered when we resume in two weeks’ time” he explained.
“What authority does the government have to declare the day statutory public holiday? You are a democratically elected government. You are not autocratic so you must do things constitutionally,” he urged.
The MP said parliament went on recess before the government declared today as a public holiday “so it is illegal to declare today a holiday,” adding that they will inform the Speaker of what the government did while the bill was pending.
Mr. Dafeamekpor explained that “this is not something we use executive instrument to do. It is only Parliament that can do it but the government is acting autocratically”.
Source: 3news
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These NDC people dont have anything to say and want to be heard. A lawyer who sees illigality prefers to go to radio station to talk instead of the law court. They dont read because even if they read, they dont understand. What they want is create loot and share.
its neither my NDC FAILS TO READ OR READ BUT THEY NEVER UNDERSTOOD IT. OH ndc ya bre agu kwa
I am a sympathetic to the npp for now ,but I think the holidays are too much ,we can commemorate it but not observe it as a holiday unless on day the president is been sworn in.It not a productive use of the 365 days in a year.
@koo. Govt used an executive order to declare today as a public holiday. The same was done for NKRUMAHS first birthday as holiday Kejetia lawyer in parliament paaa hahahaa
We have ALL THESE as parliamentarians and make laws for us, why won't we be where we are. NDC in Ghana politics was ............
CHEMISTRY LAWYER!
So the Constitution was amended before the NDC declared nkrumaah birthday and AU day as public holidays. Is he not aware that the ministry of interior has the Constitutional right to do so and he calls himself an MP.
If you do not want it go to parliament and do your debate with chairs.Go to court and challenge it and stop this media mind games.