The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Ocquaye, has questioned the essence of celebrating and observing the African Union (AU) Day as a statutory public holiday when the body has not lived up to its expectation.
According to him, the continent has achieved virtually nothing to be proud of; especially when the achievements of the body is juxtaposed with the like of the European Union and what it has achieved for Europe.
The AU Day which falls on May 25, was set aside to celebrate African unity, but Joy Newsβ parliamentary correspondent Sammy Darko reported that Prof. Ocquaye who is also the Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya said a lot needs to be done to make the day worth celebrating.
Sammy Darko said speaker upon speaker concurred that the African Union has not done much in addressing problems confronting the continent, citing conflict resolution and food security among other militating factors.
βHe (Ocquaye) said if you are to compare (the) African Union to the European Union where they have basic principles that even if your democratic credentials are weak, you are not admitted as a member, [on the other hand] the African Union has a blanket admission of members,β Darko reported.
Story by Isaac
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