President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has encouraged Ghanaians to continue to embrace the basic values of the Constitution.
He urged the citizens to uphold the principles of democratic accountability and respect for the rule of law, human rights and individual liberty and freedom.
The president, in a message to mark the 2024 Constitution Day, which falls on 7 January, said those values “must form the bedrock of our national development and individual prosperity”.
“Yet alongside this freedom, we must, with the same passion and commitment, uphold our individual and collective responsibility to contribute proactively towards the greater good of society.
“This is the vision of a free society.
“No society can be truly free unless its citizens feel the need to embrace both liberty and duty, hard work and compassion,” he noted.
Constitution Day is a statutory public holiday in Ghana observed to mark the coming into effect of the 1992 Constitution, and the birth of the Fourth Republic.
It is intended to acknowledge the nation’s collective efforts at ensuring that the tenets of democracy, rule of law and principles of constitutionalism are upheld.
More importantly, the day is to remind the citizens of their collective commitment to a regime of uninterrupted constitutional order.
The Fourth Republic has now endured far longer than any of the three previous republics, which were all cut short by military interventions.
President Akufo-Addo reminded the people that Ghana was considered a beacon of democracy and stability in Africa.
Consequently, the celebration of Constitution Day should inspire the people, even further, to hold on to this enviable status.
“By common consent, all well-meaning Ghanaians have agreed that the democratic form of governance is the most preferable, and we must do everything possible to guarantee the longevity of the Fourth Republic,” the President said.
On the 7 December General Election, he said it was in the collective interest of the people to ensure that the rules and regulations for the conduct of the polls were fair and transparent, and that “we all develop respect for them, a respect that should not be a function of whether you win or lose”.
“Democracies are grounded on viable elections, and, this year, like we have done on eight other preceding occasions, we will go to the polls to elect the President and my successor.
“No true democrat can disregard the importance of elections and the sanctity of the ballot,” he stated.