Traditional leaders from the Mempeasem in the Ayawaso West Municipality failed to stand for the national anthem in the presence of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The President, who could not tolerate any disregard for the national flag and the spirit behind the national anthem, did not hide his displeasure.
The incident, which occurred in the full glare of the public, got the President furious, who visibly expressed his rage at what has been described as an unpatriotic act by the chiefs.
The Mempeasem Chief, Nii Torgbor Obodai Ampaw VI, and his elders, had been invited to the National Green Ghana Day held on the University of Ghana (UG) Legon campus, last Friday, where the President, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, and the Vice Chancellor of UG planted trees on the field close to Mensah Sarbah Hall.
Though one could see him angrily speaking, the exact words were not heard by all but possibly those on the dais with him, which included the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, and Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon, where the event took place last Friday.
PROCEDURE
It is the normal procedure that at any public event in the country which the President attends, the national anthem is played before and after the said programme.
However, as custom demands, the President goes round to exchange greetings with invited guests, especially highly recognised ones like the traditional leaders. He is always led by his appointees, who always arrive at the venue before him.
The President goes to his sitting place, and the national anthem is played before he sits, during which everyone at the place must also stand till the end of the national anthem, then the event commences.
The presidential platform is always opposite the guests, giving the President a clear view of those who have attended, especially the dignitaries in front.
ANGER
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, whose event the President was attending, led the President, together with the Greater Accra Regional Minister, to greet the guests, including the chiefs from Mempeasem, before mounting the presidential dais.
Thereafter, the anthem was played, and all through other guests got up, but the traditional leaders, who sat next to the Army Band that played the anthem, did not stand for reasons yet to be known.
President Akufo-Addo did not hide his displeasure at the chiefs for disregarding the national anthem and issued directives to the Greater Accra Regional Minister, who immediately moved to have a word with the chiefs.
The last action seen was the President throwing his hand and indicating to the Minister to go to the chiefs, right there, which the Minister obliged.
Mr. Henry Quartey had a brief discussion with the chiefs and returned to the dais. It is not known what the minister might have told them, as it was a tete-a-tete.
At this point, the master of ceremony, Kafui Dei who had been prompted by the Protocol team, announced that “the national anthem of the Republic of Ghana. Can we all be on our feet to recognize the national anthem of the Republic,” as the anthem was not played again.
Though reporters who covered the event, considering the reaction of the President, thought he would make a statement about the incident in his address, but that did not happen.
REPENTANCE
Meanwhile, at the end of the event, when the Army band set to play the Ghana National Anthem again, this time all of the traditional leaders were on their feet until the end.
The President, on the other hand, moved to the chiefs to greet them again before sitting in his vehicle to depart from the event.
NATIONAL ANTHEM
According to some dictionaries and history portals, a national anthem is a patriotic musical composition that represents and evokes eulogies of the tradition, history, and beliefs of a nation.
Other research indicates that a national anthem helps unite the citizens of a country as it evokes a feeling of patriotism.
“During the performance of the national anthem, citizens of a nation, despite their ethnic differences, rise up in unison and listen attentively or sing the song with great enthusiasm,” says Worldatlas.com, an online geographical resource launched in 1994.
