This follows an article from the Speaker arguing that the date should be moved from July 1 to January 7.

[contextly_sidebar id=”MT6LHfOGm8y5fZpU3Gipjku2A8J51Q2y”]Prof. Ocquaye argued that, technically, the only existing republic is the one referred to as the Fourth Republic, which began on January 7, 1993, with Jerry John Rawlings.

In his view, all other republics are ostensibly non-factors because they were overthrown by coup d’états.

But Mr. Mornah believes Prof. Ocquaye should have more reverence for the symbolism of certain historical moments.

“…As somebody who is supposed to be a historian, it beats my imagination that he is throwing history to the dustbin because we are celebrating Republic Day for its significance in history. Not because there is a termination or otherwise.”

“We have categorized each of them to signify something so that all of us would know that the Republic that we are celebrating today did not just come about,” Mr. Mornah stated.

Prof. Ocquaye, who delivered a controversial Founder’s Day Lecture, urged Ghana to recognize August 4 in Ghana’s history. That proposal is to be considered, as an executive order has since been given by President Nana Akufo-Addo to effect the change.

Mr. Mornah thus described the Speaker’s recent call as his latest attempt to rewrite history, and that “it is obvious that Prof. Michael Ocquaye in this write-up has not spoken what is supposed to be.”

Ghana became a republic on July 1, 1960, in what is regarded as the First Republic, marking the attainment of complete political autonomy from the United Kingdom.

The Second Republic came into being in 1969, the third in 1979 before the Fourth Republic in 1993, under the regime of Jerry John Rawlings and the NDC.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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He said the free movement of citizens within the sub-region required that citizens were able to get jobs and employment in any country in the sub-region depending on one’s educational qualification, skills, and job experience.

[contextly_sidebar id=”UDqFMMmiQ0DYy92W4WyBNecRaathZQd5″]Prof. Oquaye made the call in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of the Delocalised meeting for the Joint Committees on Education, Science and Technology, and the Committee on Information Technology of the ECOWAS Parliament in Accra.

The five-day conference is on the theme: “The status of harmonisation of Educational Systems and curricular in West Africa: With special reference on equivalence of Degrees, Diploma, Certificates and other qualifications.”

The meeting which is being hosted in Accra for the first time is being attended by the leadership and representatives of the ECOWAS Parliament.

Prof Oquaye also stated that due to variations in Certificates, Degrees and Diplomas especially between the Anglophone and Francophone blocs in the sub-region, there have been challenges of acceptance or otherwise of these qualifications from persons who move from one country to the other in the sub-region in search of jobs.

He said the issue of equivalence of diplomas, degrees and certificates and other qualifications across the sub-region was an important issue in regional economic and social integration.

“It is for this reason that I consider the subject for this delocalised meeting an important one” he said.

Prof Oquaye also observed that it was vital for ECOWAS to promote labour mobility through a harmonised system that recognised the equivalence of diplomas, degrees and certificates across the sub-region.

He said the overriding aim should be to provide relevant and functional educational systems that would train the requisite human resource to address the challenges of regional economic development and integration.

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Source: GNA

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Some senior members of the university, led by a former Director of the Institute of African Studies, Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo, have started a campaign to get the school to pull down the statue, which was unveiled during a visit by the Indian President Pranab Mukheriee.

Prof Adomako Ampofo is urging members of the University of Ghana Council to heed her petition arguing among other things that, Gandhi was racist against black people and honoring him set a wrong example for students.

But Professor Ocqauye, a professor of political science and a lawyer, believes a decision to demolish the statue might have implications on diplomatic ties between Ghana and India.

“It will be most unnecessary, most uncalled for and not in the supreme interest of Ghanaians and we must know what serves our interest best. Some people in India wanted diplomatic relations to be broken in Ghana over the way we sometime back spited them, but caution prevailed and they kept their cool to show that they understand diplomacy and the ups and downs of international relations and today the relationship is a bit better and we look forward to it being better still.”

Prof. Ocquaye further called on the petitioners to be tolerant of divergent views saying, that is the hallmark of academia.

Background 

On 14th June 2016, a statue of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was erected at the Sam Aboah quadrangle of the University of Ghana.

This is the only statue of a historical personality on Legon campus, and soon after it came to the notice of members of the University community and the general public, calls for its removal commenced within the University community and beyond.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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