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General News of Sunday, 31 December 2023

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Year in Review: Powerful chiefs who criticised Akufo-Addo’s govt in 2023

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Article 276(1) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana forbids traditional rulers, including chiefs, from actively engaging in political party activities.

The apex court of the land, the Supreme Court of Ghana, reaffirmed this position of the constitution in June 2023 when it declared that it is unconstitutional for chiefs to endorse political parties or their candidates for national elections.

The court, however, clarified that the chiefs have the right to either praise or criticise the policies or performance of a political party or its candidates without violating the constitution.

Well, some renowned chiefs in Ghana, including paramount chiefs, appear to have a great understanding of the interpretation by the highest court of the land and have not spared the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government.

These chiefs most of whom are from areas considered to be strongholds of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) made news headlines in 2023 after launching scourging criticism on the state of development in their areas and the worsening economic condition in the country.

Here are some of the chiefs and the remarks they passed on Akufo-Addo's government:

Dormaahene

The paramount chief of the Dormaa Traditional Area (Dormaahene), Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, was one of the staunch critics of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his government in 2023.

The Dormaahene on several occasions slammed the Akufo-Addo government on many issues including the government’s, particularly the president’s, response to issues of LGBTQIA+ in Ghana; mining agreements signed by the government; the prosecution of the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, James Gyakye Quayson and the state of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The traditional ruler was bemused by the fact that by leaders of the country, especially the president, were not bold enough to state that the customs of Ghana forbid LGBTQIA+ activities, as he was reacting to a joint press conference held by President Akufo-Addo and US Vice President Kamala Harris during the formers visit to Ghana in March 2023.

“Our custom is that if a man sees a woman he likes, he goes with his family to engage the family of the woman and they marry and this is what the Bible also supports. We will never accept marriage between a man and a man or a woman and a woman.

“I plead with our current leaders, anytime they speak about this issue of LGBT, they fail to go straight to the point. They are warm and cold on it. If you’re speaking on this issue, be bold and speak directly that the customs of the people of Ghana do not support them,” he said in Twi.



The Dormaahene, who is also a High Court judge in his private life, also confronted Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia on why successive governments continue to sign mining agreements which to him was not in the interest of the country.

Osagyefo Agyemang Badu II broke protocol during a speech at the Annual Convention of the Council of Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Associations of Continental North America (COBAANA), in May 2023, to express some of the misgivings to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

“His Excellency, how is it that we have our gold but we get only 7 per cent of the proceeds from it? will the remaining 93 per cent go to foreigners?

“It is not only that His Excellency, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea get 51 per cent of their oil explorations… why is that in Ghana we get only 17 per cent? Why is that we get only 17 per cent, His Excellency?” he asked Dr Bawumia.



The Dormaahene added that if Ghana was getting what it deserves from its natural resources, it would not need the $3 billion International Monetary Funds (IMF) bailout which comes with all kinds of restrictions.

Goasomanhene:

Another power chief who could not hold his displeasure at the performance of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's government was the paramount chief of Goaso (Goasomanhene), Nana Kwasi Bosomprah I.

Nana Bosomprah I, during an event to mark the 15th anniversary of his enstoolment, in August 2023, could not stand the promises of proponents of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government, who spoke at the event including the Member of Parliament for Asunafo North and Deputy Minister for Sports, Evans Opoku Bobie and the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Asunafo North, Osei Yaw Boahen.

The chief, who was particularly pissed about the deteriorating nature of roads in his area, vowed not to attend any sword-cutting event because he has grown tired of failed promises of the government.

“The MCE said that fowls drink water in bits but now this is not the case. Fowls no longer take water in bits, they glob it. Look at this road we are living with and how the dust is killing us and you are telling us that you are doing it in bits. If I tell you that I agree with you then it is a lie.

“When the MP was also speaking, he said that very soon there would be a sod cutting (for the astroturf). If he invites me to the event, I would not attend. I want the MP to say that the very day the sod cutting is done is the very day the construction will start because I’m tired of these promises. I’m no longer going to attend sod-cutting events,” he fumed.



The traditional ruler's frustration went up a notch when he wept in public as he was lamenting about the poor nature of roads in his area, wondering why his people who he described as supporters of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) would be neglected by the government, when former President John Dramani Mahama paid a courtesy call on him in November 2023.

“Our road is critical to transporting cocoa, yet today our trees are being felled by Burkinabes exposing our houses to vagaries of the weather, what is our crime? When we complain too, we are being gagged,” he said as tears almost rolled down his cheeks.

An aide sprang into action, removing his cloth and spreading it across the face of the teary Omanhene. Others quickly joined to spread the cloth well enough to ensure the palace guests did not see the chief in tears.



Otumfuo Ahenenanom Hene

The Otumfuo Ahenenanom Hene, Nana Kwame Mensah-Bonsu, a sub-chief of the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, also took the Akufo-Addo government to the cleaners over what he describes as the failure of the government to bring developmental projects to the Ashanti Region.

He accused President Akufo-Addo and his party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), of taking the Ashanti Region for granted. In an interview on the ‘For The Records’ programme, aired on Sunday, May 21, 2023, Nana Mensah-Bonsu said that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) which gets small votes in the Ashanti Region has implemented more projects in the Ashanti Region then the NPP government.

He added that the Akufo-Addo government is the worst he has seen, asking "whether the president had any education".

“I am here to fight for Ashanti. Akufo-Addo should come and point out all the development projects he has brought to the Ashanti Region and let Mahama also do same.

“… has Akufo-Addo gone to school since he came into politics, who is his classmate? Who did he go to law school with? Who did he go to the university with? He has not brought any project to the Ashanti Region,” he said.

“I beg you call the NDC and call the NPP for them to come and account for what they have done in the Ashanti Region. We’re not fools. If we were blind yesterday, today we can see that it is raining and the ground is wet,” he said in Twi.

The Otumfuo Ahenenana went on to list a number of projects started by the John Dramani Mahama administration, including the Sofoline Interchange in Kumasi, which the Akufo-Addo government has failed to complete in the over six years it has been in office.



The paramount chief of Nsien:

The Paramount Chief of Nsien Traditional Area, in the Western Region, Awulai Agyefi Kwame, was also one of the traditional rulers who criticized the Akufo-Addo-led administration, describing the president’s second term as a disaster for the people of his region in terms of developmental works.

He said he is disappointed with the government's approach to addressing the region's needs, saying that the Western Region had not received the respect and dignity it deserved. One of his concerns is the deteriorating state of the region's road infrastructure.

He questioned whether, after the resounding "4 More 4 Nana" campaign, there had been any significant improvement in the condition of the roads, particularly the stretch from Agona Nkwanta to Takoradi.

"If we are supposed to speak the truth, our roads have deteriorated more during this NPP era than any other government. The government's failure in the Western region is evident. Simply put, 'Four More for Nana' has been a disaster for the Western region.

“If we discuss the minerals, they receive from this region to develop the country…most leaders, including Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, hailed from this region, and this is our reward,” he said in an exclusive interview with the media.

"I am saying that the voice of the Western Region is not heard in Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr Bawumia's NPP government. If Nananom doesn't wake up, our roads will deteriorate even further than they are now,” he added.



The Asantehene:

The overload of the Ashanti Kingdom, Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, also came at the Akufo-Addo government in 2023, even though his criticism was more measured. He called out the government on some issues including its handling of the fight against illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) and the handling of the economic crisis.

The Asantehene, while addressing the 56th Congregation on the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNSUT) in March 2023, bemoaned the lack of transparency on issues to do with the economy; calling on the government to come clean on the state of Ghana’s economy including the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.

“Our debt level has become unsustainable pushing the government to roll out a domestic debt exchange programme that aims to restructure the nation’s debt and ensure some fiscal space for the country to operate.

“Sadly, it appears public consultation did not take place before the programme commenced. The nation is currently in a tense mood even though government has announced the completion of the programme. I want to implore government to demonstrate high level of transparency and be candid in these difficult times in order to win the trust and confidence of the general public,” the king said.

The Asantehene's criticism of the government’s fight against galamsey, however, was much more subtle compared to that of 2022, where he accused the government of knowing the people behind the menace but refusing to arrest them.

This time around, the Otumfuo admonished the Akufo-Addo government to emulate his style of deposing chiefs who are involved in galamsey.

“Not so long ago, we all heard of actions I took against some chiefs in my kingdom who were either covertly or overtly involved in galamsey activities, and I urge the government to take reciprocal actions in the fight against galamsey,” he said at the 57th Congregation of KNUST in November 2023.

The Paramount Chief of Lower Axim:

Unlike the Asantehene, the Paramount Chief of Lower Axim Traditional Area, Awulae Attibrikusu III, had more strong words for the Akufo-Addo government for its fight against galamsey. According to him, politicians finance nearly 90% of galamsey in Ghana, making the government's effort to fight the menace a joke.

Speaking at the Grand Durbar of the 2023 Axim Kundum, in September 2023, Omanhene Attibrikusu III, said that the government knows what to do to stop illegal mining in Ghana, but it is merely engaging in window-dressing.

He added that the government keeps blaming chiefs for the increase in galamsey activities, but the chiefs have no powers to stop them.

“When it comes to the issue of galamsey, I would always say without fear or favour that the government is full of jokers. I would say this anywhere. Why do I say the government are jokers, as I am seated here, I don’t have any apparatus, I don’t command the police or the soldiers.

“The chamfans that are used for galamsey are imported, who controls the harbour? Is it not the government? So, if the government places an embargo on the import of chamfans, who is going to import them? Who am I, to go and give an order that the import of chamfans should be stopped?

“That is why I’m saying and I would also say it that the government are jokers. They don’t know what they are talking about. It is only the government who can stop galamsey and not chiefs,” he said.

He added that galamsey is destroying the land and water bodies in the country, but the government has not made up its mind to stop it.

He said that for the first time since he became chief, 35 years ago, he has had to go and buy fish at Takoradi because there were no fish in the water bodies in his area.



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