The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Inusah Fuseini, is advocating for the scrapping of the elaborate ceremonies that characterize the nation’s Independence Day celebrations.
He argues that the cost associated with such activities could be rather channeled to other important sectors of the economy aimed at improving the lives of the citizenry.
Speaking to Citi News, the Tamale Central MP described the celebrations as one that does not offer any benefit to the country in present times.
“Sixty-three years should be enough for us to mark the celebration with a day without celebrating it. We are old enough to let go of the celebrations. So on an Independence day, we only mark it. The President can come to the House [Parliament] to talk to us or do something. This country is going through a lot of challenges.”
“Two days ago, I saw them moving all the fuel tanks, the bazookas, and the military hardware to Kumasi. They had rented long vehicles to do that. [Look at] the cost involved. The cost of even getting people at one location to celebrate the day. The cost of even moving the President from Accra to Kumasi. Even if it’s going to be celebrated in Accra, the cost of assembling people.”
“I think that it is time for us to begin to prioritize to use the money for other equally important activities which impact the lives of the people. I just think that we are wasting too much money on funfair, while our people are languishing in poverty. And the funfair brings nothing. The celebrations that we are having today is just to satisfy our ego that we were independent on the 6th March, 1957 and it brings nothing,” he remarked.
