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The Minority Caucus of Parliament on Thursday, staged a walkout from the chamber in protest against the Public Holiday (Amendment) Bill.

The Minority walked out after some of them including the Minority Leader Hon Haruna Iddrisu as well as some Majority Members had made contribution to the motion moved by the Minister of Interior for the passage of the bill.

Hon Haruna Iddrisu said the passage of the bill will amount to disrespect to Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah who played a lead role in the struggle for the country's independence, hence they cannot be part of it.

He cautioned that a future NDC government will amend the law .

The bill seeks to amend the Public Holidays Act 2001 ( Act 601) to provide for the 7th Day of January, the 4th day of August and 21st day of September, as additional statutory public holidays, and for the celebration of the 25th day of May and the 1st day of July as a commemorative .

Government, last year, laid a new bill before Parliament to amend the Public Holidays Act to include January 7 and August 4 as statutory public holidays.

The new bill which was laid by the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, on Thursday, December 13 is seeking to make January 7 Constitution Day and August 4, Founders Day.
 
It is, however, proposing to scrap the AU holiday on May 25 as well as the Republic holiday on July 1.

If approved, the already existing Founder's Day holiday which is observed on September 21 will now be observed only as a Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day and would be a public holiday.

This means the AU and Republic days will also be observed only as commemorative days.

Background

In 2017, President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, proposed that August 4 should be observed as Founders Day in memory of the successive generations of Ghanaians who contributed to the liberation of the country from colonial rule and September 21 set aside as a memorial day for Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first President who was instrumental in the fight for the 6th March independence.

Other public holidays

Ghanaians will continue to enjoy other public holidays, New Year's Day (January 1), Independence Day (March 6), Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Others are Eid-ul-Adha (Hajj period), Eid-ul-Fitr (Ramadan period), Workers' Day (May), Farmers' Day (Ffirst Day in December), Christmas Day (December 25) and Boxing Day (December 26).

The House, presided over by First Deputy Speaker and MP for Bekwai, Hon. Joe Osei Owusu, subsequently passed the bill in the absence of the Minority.