General News of Monday, 5 September 2016

Source: ultimatefmonline.com

Political science lecturer calls on Chiefs to reject political appointments

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The Senior Political Science Lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr. Richard Amoako Baah insists it is not interest of the country for chiefs to dabble in partisan politics.

He has therefore described as hypocritical a constitutional provision that allows for chiefs to accept political appointments noting that it is also not in the interest of the country.

“If you cannot enter politics you should not also accept political appointments. This is the hypocritical aspect of the constitution which was not well written”, he said on the Ultimate Breakfast Show hosted by Lantam Papanko.

He observed that politics is a dirty business and that chiefs could get insulted which does not augur well for them and their subjects and the best for them is to stay off politics to retain their integrity.

“You get into politics and they start to insult you…..In that case they insult the place you control as well as your people”, he observed

He condemned the latest trend where chiefs are seen openly endorsing candidates of the various political parties appealing to chiefs who want to go into politics to abdicate their titles rather than try to do both.

According to him, if chieftaincy is more important to such persons, it is their right to enter but cannot hold themselves as chiefs and the vice versa

“A chief must not be a political chief. You should know how to do your politics. Even if you were a politician before being enskinned, you must tone down because you are a leader and could create disaffection among your subjects”, he said.