When Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, our wise and revered King, looked across his kingdom and said, “Ma wo Asantesɛm ho nhia wo,” it wasn’t a poetic line meant for decoration.

It wasn’t one of those royal quotes you print on a funeral brochure.

No. It was a coded message wrapped in cultural urgency a spiritual slap to shake us from a deep political slumber.

But as expected, many applauded without understanding, nodded politely, or worse ignored it completely.

Truth is, that simple sentence carries more fire than a thousand-page manifesto. It means: “Don’t look down on your identity, your roots, your people.”

Because once you start valuing your own your land, your traditions, your leaders even the dust in your courtyard becomes gold.

And frankly, we’ve forgotten how to see gold in our own yard.

Kufuor Set the Standard What Happened to us?

Let’s take a stroll down memory lane.

Remember when President John Agyekum Kufuor, a true son of Ashanti soil, occupied the Jubilee House? The pride we felt as Ashantis wasn’t tribalism it was testimony. He didn't embarrass us.

He didn't drag our name through the political mud. He gave us class, diplomacy, and credibility. Ghana benefitted, and Ashanti glowed. That era brought a dignified sense of belonging. Ashantis felt seen not just counted.

So, here’s the million-cedi question: Why can’t we do it again?

Why can’t we the land of Osei Tutu, Prempeh I, and Yaa Asantewaa identify one of our own, a disciplined and visionary leader, and rally behind him with full force? Why can’t we project a worthy son to the highest office and say, “This time, the stool supports the state”?

From Brave Warriors to Blind Followers

Once upon a time, Ashantis was known for bravery, unity, and strategic thinking. Today, some of us are known for selling our conscience in the name of political proximity.

We have become so blinded by party loyalty and personality cults that we forget to ask: “Is this man using me, or am I using my brain?”

It’s sad no, embarrassing that many follows certain individuals with blind allegiance, defending exploitation with energy they could’ve used to build schools. Ashanti, the lion, now follows sheep in silence.

What happened to the people who dared the British Empire? Now we sit and clap for anyone who throws coins at our conscience.

Check the Scoreboard: Who’s Representing Who?

Let’s talk facts.

I have never seen an Ashanti appointed as an MP or DCE in the Volta Region or Northern Region and I don’t expect to.

Why? Because those regions protect their political spaces, and rightly so. They understand what representation means. They understand what power means.

But here in Ashanti?

We’ve turned our region into a political mall open to all, run by none. Somehow, everyone gets a slot except the sons and daughters of the soil. We’ve outsourced our destiny and called it democracy. That’s not openness; that’s negligence.

Let’s rise and ask the uncomfortable questions. Let’s change the narrative from being used to being respected.

Mental Slavery is the New Colonization

Bob Marley warned us. Otumfuo reminded us. Yet some of us still behave like political slaves in golden chains.

We must emancipate ourselves from this mental slavery. The Ashanti Region should not just be a political stronghold used every four years like a rented generator. It should be a strong voice respected, calculated, and represented.

The time has come for us to stop clapping for our own exploitation and start campaigning for our own elevation.

Conclusion: Ashanti, It’s Time to Reset the Table

The Ashanti story isn’t over but it needs a new chapter. A chapter where we think critically, organize smartly, and project boldly. A chapter where we stop being pawns in other people’s political chess games.

Let us rise not to fight others but to restore our own.

Let us invest in one of our own, not because he bears an Ashanti name, but because he carries an Ashanti spirit: brave, wise, strategic, and selfless.

Because if we don’t learn to value our own, even our greatness will feel like a curse.

So once again, as Otumfuo said: “Ma wo Asantesɛm ho nhia wo.”

Not just words but a command.

Obey it.

Before it’s too late.

K.A.Y Baffour