June 4 amendment motion withdrawn
Police patrols have helped curb armed robbery
Accra (Greater Accra) 01 June 2001
Parliament on Friday passed the Public Holidays Bill declaring that June 4 is no longer a public holiday.
The new law, which was passed under a certificate of urgency, will have to receive presidential accent before Monday, June 4 to bring the curtain down on the official celebration of the 1979 junior military officers uprising as a public holiday.
Alhaji Malik Al-Hassan Yakubu, Minister of the Interior, taking the Public Holidays Bill through the last consideration stage, said June 4 should no longer be celebrated as a holiday because it evoked memories of military mutiny which was not in tune with the current democratic dispensation.
He said the deletion of the day, as a holiday would answer to the process of reconciliation the country has been yearning for.
When the Speaker, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey posed the question, those in favour of expunging the day from being observed as a holiday, carried the motion with a voice vote.
The introduction of the bill received a lot of legal, constitutional and procedural challenges from the NDC Minority group for the three days of debate.
Some of the Minority members were greeted with boos of "shame, shame" by the Majority as they trooped into the chamber after staying in the lobby for over 30 minutes ostensibly to frustrate the passage of the bill.
Tactically withdrawing from the chamber had been the weapon of the Minority side as the Bill was being taken through the various stages. This was to demonstrate their disapproval of the procedure adopted by the Majority and also to reduce the numbers needed to form a quorum for the passage of the law.
Mr J.H. Mensah, Majority Leader commended the Minority side for their insistence on the adherence to Parliamentary procedures, saying it was a healthy development, which augurs well for parliamentary democracy.
Mr Isaac Adjei-Mensah, Deputy Minority Leader said: "for now the Minority have conceded defeat but posterity would be the best judge".
Young military officers and other ranks took up arms on June 4, 1979 and rescued Flight-Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings and other soldiers who were being tried for mutiny on May 15 in the same year.
The mutineers overthrew the military regime of the Supreme Military Council (SMC II) under the chairmanship of Lieutenant-General F.W.K Akuffo and established the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC).
The AFRC ruled the country for three months and handed over to the Peoples' National Party of President Hilla Limann.
Flt. Lt Rawlings later overthrew the Limann government in 1981 and established the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
After ruling for 11 years, Flt. Lt. Rawlings metamorphosed into a constitutional President in 1992 for eight years. During the rule of Flt. Lt Rawlings, June 4 was observed as a public holiday with military pomp and pageantry.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 01 June 2001
The Minority's amendment motion to retain June 4 as a Public Holiday suffered a setback on Thursday in Parliament when it was withdrawn after contributions from the Majority.
Mr Joseph Ackah, NDC-Jomoro, who introduced the amendment motion, said: "After listening to the contributions against the celebration of June 4 as a holiday, Mr Speaker, I withdraw the amendment."
This led to shouts of "yea, yea" from the Majority, who stood their grounds and made emotional speeches as to why June 4 should not be observed as a public holiday.
Earlier Mr John Mahama, NDC-Bole, who seconded the amendment motion extolled the events of June 4 saying that a national day could hold both pleasant and unpleasant memories in a nation's life.
He said it was those mixed feelings like the one the French revolution evoked, that made it an event to be remembered.
Before the debate the Minority strategically and tactically streamed out of the chamber to technically cut down the number of members present to prevent the Bill from being taken through its consideration stage.
The Minority at yesterday's sitting adopted similar stands but the Bill was taken through the earlier consideration stages.
Mr Doe Adjaho, the Minority Chief Whip quoting copiously from the Standing Orders of the House protested against the Bill being read for the decision to be taken because the number in the House was less than 101 members needed to vote on the Bill.
Papa Owusu-Ankomah, the Deputy Majority Leader said they could not technically hold the House to ransom.
He said the Minority members were in the lobby and were taking tea and have deliberately refused to come to the chamber to perform their parliamentary duties, even though, they had signed the attendance book.
Those who spoke against the amendment included Mr Kwamena Bartels, Ms
Christine Churcher, Captain Nkrabeah Effa-Dartey (rtd) and Mr Balado Manu all
NPP members.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 01 June 2001
Alhaji Malik Al-hassan Yakubu, Minister of the Interior on Thursday said increased police surveillance, virile patrolling and unpredictable temporary road barriers has helped to reduce the spate of armed robberies and the crime wave especially in the Accra Metropolis.
He said with the new style of the leadership in interacting with the service personnel and efforts to motivate them to work hard, the overall picture of the armed robbery situation has shown a decline from January up to the end of March.
Alhaji Yakubu was answering a question in Parliament when Mr Kwakye Addo NDC
Afram Plains asked the Minister what steps the Ministry taking to check the spate of armed robberies in the country, which he said was on the increase.
The Minister said the situation would have been more serious if the new measures had not been adopted and added that some of the cases are not armed robbery but are break-ins.
He said the Police have also been able to achieve success in their operations because vehicles were mobilised from other departments and corporations to assist them to curb the upsurge of crime.
Alhaji Yakubu said fixed road barriers are not the best way of curbing crimes and the ministry has plans to reduce the number across the country.
He said security matters should be a collective responsibility and so civil society should assist in maintaining it and lauded the idea of neighbourhood watchdog committees.
Alhaji Yakubu gave the assurance that the military would not be withdrawn from Bawku if the situation is not under control and said because of the volatile situation there, the Police strength has been augmented with the deployment of more Police personnel from other regions.
The Minister was answering a question in the name of Mr Achidago Bernard Akugri, NDC-Binduri as to when the Bawku East District Command of the Police Service would be provided with a vehicle to effectively patrol the township when the military withdraws.
Alhaji Yakubu said strenuous efforts are underway to rehabilitate broken down vehicles after which some would be sent to Bawku.
Madam Hawa Yakubu, Minister of Tourism, and Mr Abuga Pele, NDC Chaina-Paga asked the Minister whether he was aware of the gravity of the situation and the type of weapons used in the Bawku conflict and what steps were being taken to reduce the use of sophisticated weapons.
Alhaji Yakubu said the exercise to retrieve all illegal arms is still in progress and everything was being done to reduce the use of weapons especially by the civil society.
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