Did Akufo-Addo goof with his outburst over National Anthem?

The President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, lashed out in public over the refusal of the Chief and elders of Mempeasem to stand as the National Anthem was being sung.

The Chief of Mempeasem, Nii Torgbor Obodai Ampaw, has subsequently apologised to the president and the people of Ghana for what transpired.

He explained that he could not stand up when the National Anthem, God Bless Our Home Land Ghana, was sung because he was unwell.

But did the chief do something wrong by refusing to stand up for the National Anthem of Ghana?

In fact, there has been precedent for a president chastising a Ghanaian for not standing for the anthem.

In 1991, the late former President Jerry John Rawlings ordered the arrest of the late former Member of Parliament for Zebilla, John Akparibo Ndebugre, for sitting while the anthem was being sung. He was charged with the crime of failing to show respect for the flag and was in prison for nine days.

Ndebugre, who was then the leader of the Secretary General of the Movement for Freedom and Justice (MFJ), was, however, acquitted by a High Court after the court held that he had committed no crime by not standing for the anthem.

The court ruled that, under the PNDC laws, one is required “to remain in his or her position” at the sound of the National Anthem.

What does the 1992 Constitution say about standing for the National Anthem?

The 1992 Constitution does not explicitly indicate the posture one must take as the National Anthem is being sung or recited. But it has become the norm for every Ghanaian to stand up straight as a sign of reverence for the symbol of Ghana’s independence, the God Bless Our Homeland, Ghana.

The only provision in the 1992 Constitution that stipulates punishment for disrespecting any of the national symbols is Section 184 of the Criminal Code, 1960 (Act 29).

This provision talks about "insulting the national flag and emblem".

It states that “whoever does any act or utters any words or publishes any writing with intent to insult or bring into ridicule the official national flag or emblem of Ghana or any representation or pictorial reproduction is guilty of a misdemeanour”.

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