Ghana Celebrates Independence Without President

President Kufuor became the first sitting Ghanaian head of state to miss Ghana's national independence day anniversary celebrations. The President was in Australia for the Commonwealth heads of government meeting, which ended on the 5th of March. However, travel arrangements made it impossible for him to partake in the celebrations.

Government Spokesperson Kwabena Agyepong defended the President's absence, saying, it was impossible for the president to arrive from Australia for the event.

An opposition politician said, “How could the president be absent from a day, classified as the single most important day in the nation's calendar, by this same government. It probably was a cynical attempt to bury June 4?”

A number of Ghanaians Chronicle spoke to expressed disappointment over the absence of the President at this year's Independence anniversay.

They said he should have returned to Ghana by now particularly when the Commonwealth Conference is over.

The President is expected back home on the 10th of March, as he goes on to Nigeria for the commissioning of the Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Center to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the arrest of the late leader of the Peoples Democratic Movement.

In his of the president, the Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, took the salute at the parade of school children, security agencies and voluntary organizations at the Independence Square.

The Vice President, in his address to the nation made a personal pledge to be fully involved in the combat against the high spate of indiscipline in the country. He called on religious and traditional leaders, teachers, the media and public officials to partner him in the crusade against indiscipline.
The parade itself ended peacefully in spite of the earlier threats made by some polytechnic students to disrupt it. The general public turned up in their numbers and applauded the service contingents and educational institutions that took part in the parade.