Our public holiday calendar, which could be memorised once upon a time, now frustrates learning by BECE candidates. Ask them questions about Ghana’s public holidays, and the little ones would scratch their heads, waiting for Minister Muntaka to declare the fate of Tuesday, July 1st. Is it still Republic Day? if so, do we stay at home wearing Ghana, go to Labadi Beach pleasures with potbellies, or kneel down 24 hours praying in tongues for Mother Ghana?
As for a new holiday for national prayers and thanksgiving, announced by JDM, I am compelled to narrate my Father’s Day experience a few Sundays ago, when Pastor Fiifi at prayer time introduced the theme of praying for the country of Ghana. I recall his words: ‘Let’s now pray for our country, Ghana … pray, pray, pray.’ Unfortunately, that was an anticlimax for worshipers better used to intercessions for prosperity, family, and the like. On the theme of Ghana, the regular intercessory uproar and foot shuffling among the congregation tapered off, replaced by drab whispers contrived to feign enthusiasm for the difficult theme, Ghana. In the next minute or so when the prayer theme changed again from ‘Ghana’ to ‘marriage,’ come and see the sudden return of spirited chanting and tongue speaking. Welcome the new National Day of Prayers and Thanksgiving, but please indicate whether workers will go to work on this Republic Day with a Bible in hand or wait till Friday for marathon prayers.
But the day of prayers should help release stress and pour out frustrations: sudden dismissals, job losses, and the brazen intensification of Galamsey across the country. Indeed, an implicit salutation of Galamseyers for helping improve Ghana’s gold reserves! Submissions of ‘Oh God, please pull the ears of officialdom’ will be heard on the National Day of Prayers.
But the revised holiday calendar also brings back the appalling ‘Founders Day’ feud started by the Party of Elephants. For the first time in history, the Supreme Court might be asked to pronounce judgment on the true constitutional position of apostrophes (‘s): Is it Founder’s Day or Founders’ Day? The September 21st Founder’s Day dedicated to Osagyefo some 15 years ago, was faulted by NPP, whose eyes saw more founders than one, and reversed claims that Osagyefo was the sole founder. Now that NPP is out of sight, the face of the Show Boy has been resurrected by the ruling Umbrella Party, and it is unknown if this will survive the 2028 elections. Since we Ghanaians had earlier amended our holiday notes to replace Osagyefo with the Big Six, we are now compelled to find erasers once again to amend the NPP’s amendment.
If that is Part One of ongoing comedies, it should be the turn of ‘Flagstaff House’ come the next comedy season. In 2007, the former seat of government, ‘Flagstaff House,’ was renovated and changed to ‘Jubilee’ by the PP to commemorate Ghana’s 50th anniversary. Opposition NDC would not hear this, and threatened to reverse the ‘Jubilee’ label and restore ‘Flagstaff’ should Providence return them to power. In December 2024, God hands JDM a resounding victory. Here now comes a golden moment to restore the Flagstaff label and shame the devil. Another opportunity to amend an amendment.
Should campaign promises and threats be fulfilled, a festival of reversals could be underway; in one case for mass failure of students and in another for outstanding performance. I refer to campaign promises to cancel the Teacher Licensure exams to curb the mass failure of candidates, and a separate threat to retrieve and re-mark past WAEC scripts to track down cheats responsible for outstanding Free SHS results. All this was meant to shame the Devil.
The problem with Ghana’s multiparty democracy is that it has handed power to two political parties that decide to treat a sovereign nation and its citizens like toys.
This Prayer and Thanksgiving Day, may God ‘pull the ears’ of Ghana’s enemies within!!
By Prof Kwesi Yankah
