Minister raises concerns about chieftaincy disputes

Wa, Aug. 14, GNA - Mr. Mahmud Khalid, the Upper West Regional Minister, has said people in the communities had alleged that some chiefs were responsible for the delays in disposing of chieftaincy disputes in the region.

He said though those allegation could not be taken wholesale without proof, they should serve as a wake up call for the judicial committee to work harder to see to the early disposal of cases brought before them.

He said most often, the excuse given had always been that the House had no legal counsels to help deal with cases but something ought to be done.

Mr. Khalid was addressing members of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs at its general meeting in Wa. He said justice was not about favouring the rich and denying the poor what is right. "It is all about doing the right thing and damn the consequences."

"But today all that we see or hear in chieftaincy disputes are that only the rich are mostly favoured to be right. The poor are exploited and are denied justice and the price of it all is conflict in the communities," Mr. Khalid said.

Mr. Khalid expressed regret that hardly had there been any ascension to any skin in the region today without protests, threats, litigations or even violence.

"Even areas which hitherto had been known to be quite peaceful in transitions had now fallen prey to the dangerous canker of disputes". He appealed to chiefs to play appropriate roles especially in ensuring early disposal of all outstanding disputes to secure peace for the people to enhance development.

Mr. Khalid also appealed to them to help make the region a peaceful place to attract workers, investors and tourists and to rekindle self-help among the people to complement government's efforts. He appealed to the chiefs to refrain from involving in active partisan politics as that could mar their reputation and erode the influence of the office they held.

Chiefs should also avail themselves to lifelong learning opportunities like seminars, workshops and other courses to acquire knowledge and skills to partner government to develop the country. Mr. Khalid appealed to the chiefs to adopt innovative ways of persuading the youth to practice their culture and avoid foreign cultures.

Naa Sohimininye Dana Gore II, President of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs, appealed to government to consider elevating the Wa Campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS) to a full-pledged university as well as a Regional Hospital. 14 Aug 09