MPs present Democracy Cup to Chief Justice

Members of Parliament (MPs) have presented a Democracy Cup to the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, to celebrate Ghana’s growing democracy through football.

The first Democracy Cup match which will be held on the theme: “30 years of Parliamentary Democracy under the 4th Republic: The Journey thus far”, is also to foster national unity ahead of the 2024 general election on December 7.

 Presentation

The presentation was done by the MP for Zebilla, Cletus Avoka, on behalf of the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Deputy Clerk for Legislative Management, Parliament, Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, said the initiative would allow parliament to interact with the entire public through the medium of football.

“Football brings us together. Football unites us, football presents a common ground. The Speaker of Parliament, having launched the political session, went to present the cup to the President as a lead person within a democratic dispensation and invited him to grace the occasion with his presence and to send a message to the Ghanaian citizens that we are together in this business.” he stated.

Critical step

He said the gesture needed to be replicated by other functionaries and other critical government institutions such as the judiciary. “It's a critical step in a democratic dispensation,” Mr Djietror said.

He further said it was not going to be just the government institutions that would be involved in the activities marking parliament’s democracy journey under the 4th Republic. “The idea is to reach out to the various constituencies and have some engagement on this issue. Train some people and identify young talents so that they can become assets to society, so it's not going to be just a celebration,” he said.

Excitement

Justice Torkornoo expressed her excitement and the commitment of the judicial system to support the initiative, stressing that democracy was stability and prosperity for the nation.
“We are very inspired by this initiative of the Parliament to bring people together,” she said.

Match

The match, which is scheduled to come off tomorrow (Wednesday)  will be between Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak, and it will take place at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Preceding the main event will be a curtain-raiser featuring a match between Members of Parliament and former Black Stars players. The winner of the Hearts and Kotoko match will have the opportunity to play against DC United in the USA later this year.