NDC colours puts off Oquaye

The beauty of the 52nd independence anniversary parade at Kwabenya in the Ga East Municipal was slightly marred when Professor Mike Oquaye, who was one of the dignitaries assisting the Coordinating Director to take the salute, withdrew and went to sit down upon sighting a group of women clad in NDC T-shirts marching towards the dais.

The other dignitaries were the Member of Parliament (MP) for Abokobi-Madina, Alhaji Ahmadu Sorogho, and the Municipal Director of Education, Mrs Emma Baaba Quarcoo.

This led to a little argument between Alhaji Sorogho and Professor Oquaye, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament and MP for Dome-Kwabenya.
The women wore NDC T-shirts with the inscription, "Women in Action," the Times learned that they were from Madina.
Professor Oquaye argued that the independence Day celebration was a national programme and it was wrong for a group of people to attend in party colours.

He explained that the anniversary was an avenue to build national unity and not time to show party colours.

Asked by the press why he did not wait till later when he could then, have drawn the attention of his colleagues to the incident, he replied, "this is what we do and we never progress." "If something is wrong, you have to correct it. I didn't want to be associated with something which is wrong," Prof. Oquaye said and added: "if you do that, people will criticize you." To him, "what is wrong is wrong." Responding to the action of Prof Oquaye, Alhaji Sorogho said it was wrong for the Second Deputy Speaker to put up such a behaviour.

He said the event was a national programme and each citizen had the right to participate and decide what attire to wear.

He pointed out that it would also have been wrong to prevent any group of people from participating merely because they were in a party T-shirt.

"I don't want us to start this way. We were all here and saw what NPP did during the Golden Jubilee celebration when their party colours were flying all over the country during the celebration," he stated.
In all, 35 contingents took part in the celebration from seven senior high schools, 20 junior high schools and seven Basic Schools in the area.

The Ghana Atomic Energy Senior High School, Pan tang Hospital Junior High School and Abokobi Presby Basic School respectively emerged winners in the march past competition.

They were supposed to be presented with certificates but the certificates were Rot ready as at when the results were announced.