A prelude to the "trial of History"

A re-energized National Democratic Congress (NDC) minority in Parliament on Friday succeeded in preventing the laying of the Public Holiday Bill in the house, seen largely by them as a prelude to the trial of the country's history. The original intent of the bill is to delete June 4, an occasion considered by the minority groups as the departure point of the country from its corrupt past and on the other hand abhorred by the ruling majority NPP as a mutiny and a scar on the national psyche, from public holidays.

Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, Speaker, ruled that the Joint Committee handling the bill had not fully considered the substantive matters relating to it so it should be withdrawn.

Dr Kwabena Adjei, NDC-Biakoye, and other colleagues had argued that the joint committee on Defence and the Interior and Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs did not finish what they ought to do with the report. They contented that even if the joint committee followed its mandate of ascertaining the urgency of the bill and the merits of its substance as presented in the report, it did so without the members of the minority.

Papa Owusu Ankoma, Deputy Majority Leader, dismissed the minority's argument, saying it was imputing deliberate falsehood on the majority.

The Speaker's ruling did not endorse the minority's description of the report as "an act calculated to deceive the House", but purely on procedural grounds. But it was welcomed by all, as it gave both sides at least the weekend to strategize on the impending debate and voting likely to dominate next week's proceedings.

Members, who did not want to be identified, from both sides told the GNA that the holiday issue is a test of their political faith. Whilst the Majority thinks that it has the moral authority to do away with June 4 celebration, the Minority contends that Ghanaians have a lot of lessons to learn from the events of the occasion and it has even given them the courage to question the conduct of public officials.

"June 4 was always celebrated to tease and hurt the majority of the people. I don't think the state should recognise such a mutiny," a member said. It is a known fact that many sympathisers of the ruling Party suffered in one way or the other during the three-month military rule, which was spearheaded by ex-President Rawlings, founder of the minority NDC party.

As the numerical arrangement in the house stands now, there is no way the minority could prevent the cancellation of the June 4 celebrations. The Majority can easily muster the 101 votes needed to push the bill through.