The Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis Xavier Sosu, has proposed a private members bill to seek some adjustments to be made in the holidays celebrated in Ghana.
The bill, which is seeking the merger of some holidays, is also recommending two additional holidays for Muslims in the country –one before Eid-ul-Fitr and another day after Eid-ul-Adha.
Portions of the bill also seek to limit the President’s powers to declare additional holidays and to change how holidays are marked in the country.
According to the contents of the bill, the President is required to postpone additional holidays that fall on productive days to Fridays.
Find below the summarised bill which has officially been notified to the Clerk of Parliament to pave way for legislative drafting before being introduced to Parliament.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2023
AN ACT to amend the Public Holidays (Amendment) Act, 2001 (Act 601) to remove the power of the President to declare additional public holiday; grant authority to the President to merge public holidays: postpone celebration of public holidays on productive days to Friday; remove criminal sanctions for non-observance of public holidays, and provide for related matters.
PASSED by Parliament and assented to by the President.
Public Holidays (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 986) amended as follows:
1. Repeal of Section (2)
To remove the power of the President to declare additional holidays. This amendment means
holidays that fall on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays shall be observed as such.
2. Merger of Public Holidays
3(1) Where the President is satisfied that it would be inexpedient for a day provided in section 1 to be observed as a public holiday, the President may by executive instrument merge that public holiday with another upcoming public holiday.
3. Public Holidays falling on Productive Days to be celebrated on Friday
Thursday (productive working days), the President shall by Executive Instrument (E.I.) declare the celebration or observation of that holiday on the ensuing Friday.
Exempt of Islamic Holidays
3(4) This amendment shall not apply to Islamic holidays.
Repeal of section 5
Removal of Criminal sanctions for Non-Observance of Public Holidays.
By Felix Anim-Apau