A German Minister of Labour,Wolfgang Klement, once said that too many holidays cause damage to the national economy. It affects industrial output negatively. This is an advanced economy in a developed country. Yet we in the third world country are demanding more holidays when our GDP is nothing to write home about. At the 15th National Annual Ramadan Conference in Kumasi last weekend, the Chairman of the conference, Sheikh Musah Abdul Kadir, requested the government to extend the Eid Fitr public holiday from one day to two days with the flimsy excuse or reason of difficulties and tiredness during the Eid festivities. Much as we are all Muslim, I disagree with the learned Sheikh Abdul Kadir and do not think TIREDNESS is a convincingly good reason for the government to extend the Eid public holiday to two days. The DIFFICULTIES that waranted the extension of the public holiday were not spelt out clearly in the press statement by the Chairman. But I know the public holiday starts with the prayers at public site such as the independence square and other regional parks. This is followed by merry-making, with family get-together and street carnival, which is sometimes over-carnivalised with hooliganism to some extent.

Did the delegates at this conference delibrated on how much the government spents on such holidays before requesting for an extention or did they delibrated on how it negatively affects our under-producing and under-acheiving industrial output. The National Hajj Committee must know that Christmas holiday is observed on the 25th of December and the 26th is a boxing day and NOT an extension of the Christmas holiday. Why can't we be content and appreciative of the one day public holiday? Did we not live in Ghana for decades without Eid holiday? Why are we gripping now that we have one? I would have thought the learned Sheikh Musah Abdul Kadir will use that opportunity to advice other community leaders to organise symposiums and seminars to address the stagnant literacy rate within our communities and the SAKAWA MENACE in our communities, when the theme for conference was "Unity the Necessary Tool for Development - The Role of Ghanaian Muslim". I do not think sitting at the seminar will get the Ghanaian Muslim so tired to demand an extension of the holiday as did the street carnival/celebration and the ABALABI dance/SALLAFEST.

At Independence Ghana, Malaysia and South Korea had the same GDP, but today the comparison is a non-starter. But we've never sat down to reflect on where we fell asleep on the way climbing up the GDP ladder. Corruption is not the only draw-back. Issues such as unpatroitism, mismanagement and too many holidays also contributed to our stagnant economic growth. Today, Ghana has 12 public holidays when developed countries like USA has 10 federal holidays and UK has 8 public holidays. If we as a country want to move our country forward socio-economically, then we have to emulate countries like UK, USA and Malaysia. But if we want to remain stagnant or take a nose-dive socio-economically, then we can take a page out India's book. In recent years India has been faring poorly on development and socio-economic indicators due to the large number of public holidays (38 holidays) enjoyed by government employees. United States are the super powers that they are due to hard-work. Its economy is run 24/7 while Ghana's is from 8am to 4pm from Monday thru Friday, yet we have more public holidays than the US, and we still want more. Are we trying to get anywhere with our economy? If yes, then we have a very long way to go, when more holidays are being requested beside the12 holidays that we already have. Please Sheikh Musah Abdul Kadir, ask not for what the government cannot afford, but what we as Muslims can give to Mother Ghana when we meet at such conferences.

Muhammed Suraj Sulley Jawando (LRT)

NY Presbyterian Hospital, New York.

msjawando@gmail.com