Mensah seeks brakes on chiefs in politics

Mr Joseph Henry Mensah, Minority Leader in Parliament has expressed strong reservations about the growing public declaration of endorsement and support for certain candidates in the forthcoming elections by some chiefs.

Describing the trend as "dangerous and unconstitutional", he cautioned such chiefs, including Sunyanihene, Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri, to cease forthwith since such open partisanship undermined the neutrality and respect of the chieftaincy institution.

Mr Mensah, who is MP for Sunyani East, was speaking to newsmen in Sunyani on Monday on recent media reports of some chiefs openly campaigning for certain party candidates.

He cited a news item in the October 28 issue of a national daily in which Sunyanihene, among other things, pledged to use the influence of the traditional council to get the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for the constituency elected.

According to the report, Nana Bosoma also accused Mr Mensah of neglecting Sunyani in terms of allocation of projects from the MP's common fund and refusing to meet the traditional council to discuss the development needs of the town.

Mr Mensah said he had no qualms about a chief having personal sympathies for the NDC and its candidates, but it is unacceptable for some of them to openly pledge their support and campaign for the party.

"For openly declaring his support for Captain Adu Nkrumah (rtd), NDC candidate for Sunyani East, Sunyanihene has proved how prejudiced he is against the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

"He should not forget that his public support for this candidate is unlawful, politically naive and could get him into trouble".

Mr Mensah denied that Sunyani has not benefited from his share of the common fund, which he said is only about five per cent of the district assemblies' share of the fund.

He mentioned the Twene Amanfo and Sunyani Secondary schools as institutions in the regional capital that have benefited from his share of the fund.

"Sunyani is a city, and as such most of its problems demand multi-million cedi projects to solve, which my quarter of share of about 14 million cedis cannot undertake".

Mr Mensah said if Sunyanihene really cared to know how he had used his share of the fund, he could contact the district assembly where available records would prove beyond doubt that he had used the money judiciously for the benefit of Sunyani and surrounding communities.

He also denied that he has refused to interact with members of the Sunyani Traditional Council, saying that he had been to Sunyanihene's palace on a number of occasions but each time was told the chief was out.

Mr Mensah urged other members of the council to disassociate themselves from the politics of divisiveness being perpetuated by the Sunyanihene, "since it is this kind of politics that has retarded the development of the region".