Opinions of Wednesday, 24 February 2010

Columnist: Fosu, John

Kumawuman is Calling for Quick Resolution to their Chieftaincy

Once again the enemies of development, those doting on corruption, seeking the perpetual downturn of Kumawuman have descended on me, flaying me with their sharpened beaklike destructive criticisms as though they are hungry vultures, or a pride of lions feeding on their prey. Who could they be? They may be the relatives, awkward sympathisers, friends and equally corrupt-minded personalities whose philosophy has always been, "All for me, nothing for others". These lots are myopic entities who can only see as far as the tip of their protuberant nose but not an inch beyond.

I should rather educate these inhibited minds, help extricate them from what may be an inherent ignorance than to leave them assigned permanently to their comical perceptions and reasoning. Should I leave them to wallow in unhelpful but damaging ignorance? No, that will not help the positive course God is charting for Kumawuman. How great is their insensibility of God's kindness?

I feel vindicated to having historic minds and really concerned personalities who support God's liberation fight being waged on some corrupt and dubious royals in Kumawuman. A person of nobility, one Nana Akrase from one of the fastest evolving municipalities in Ghana, Juaben, has seen the dangers represented by the corrupt traditional leaders, especially, the Kumawuhemaa and the Kontrehene. Kumawu is just about nine to twelve miles away from Juaben but it is nowhere near in comparison to Juaben in terms of infrastructural development owing to the dynamism and farsightedness of Nana Otuo Serebour II, its sitting "Omanhene". Instead of the late Omanhene of Kumawu, Barima Asumadu Sakyi II, the sitting queen and the sitting Kontrehene emulating his sterling qualities, they rather chose or choose to become the very opposite. Kumawuman although far bigger and richer in natural endowments and human resources than Juabenman, Kumawu is just a decrepit township, a no match for Juaben. Shame on Kumawuhemaa, alias "Lady Tyson Sakawa-Kanawu" and the "Tikenenkenen" Kontrehene.

Have the supporters of the insatiably greedy queen ever sat down to muse over why Kumawu especially, is such a shadow of its former self since the reign of the late Barima Asumadu Sakyi II and his sister, the queen? Have they ever in their quiet moments cogitated over how Kumawuman funds have been embezzled or mismanaged by these mentioned leaders over years? It is not that Kumawuman does not receive money into the Traditional Council's coffers like any other Traditional Council area in Ghana. But it is simply that the money is embezzled by these mentioned persons who see it as their personal wealth, a Godsend manna dropped from the Great firmaments for their psychedelic lifestyle usage. How often than not had the late Barima Asumadu Sakyi II not emptied the coffers of the Kumawu Traditional Council but without ever spending a pesewa on the development of the area? Why did Barima Asumadu Sakyi II destool Nana Akwasi Cole, the previous Dumankwaehene and Nana Kofi Akom? They had opposed his tactic for embezzling a huge sum of money enough to carry out any sizeable small project of a kind urgently needed by Kumawuman. He decided to celebrate a "Papa festival", an occasional but usual excuse to embezzle funds whenever he saw a huge sum of money come into the Council's coffers. Was he not challenged by one of his nephews who had come to realise how ruinous and detrimental his actions were to the course of the welfare of Kumawuman prior to the 2007 celebration of Papa festival that preceded his demise?

The sitting queen is worse than Barima Asumadu Sakyi II in terms of misusing the resources of Kumawuman. She has also promised to cede with huge sums of money to all those Asanteman "Amanhene" able to help her enthrone her choice of candidate as the next paramount chief of Kumawuman. God is not going to sit on his lap while these "Sakawa" queen and chiefs continue to execute their pilfering on Kumawuman in what amounts to a daylight robbery. Let me prove how insane the fans of Kumawuhemaa can be. How on earth would you, if you were sane, expect the money meant for the development of your area be parted with in the hope of allowing a greedy individual satisfy or attain her selfish aspiration? Are there enough toilets, be they private or public, in Kumawu, the Capital of Kumawuman? Assuming there is, why then do your elders and children defecate in their backyards and nearby bushes? For the entire thirty four year reign of Barima Asumadu Sakyi II and the over twenty one years of queenship by Lady Tyson Sakawa Kanawu, has Kumawu had pipe borne water? Do you have any potable water? No! Oh, my God? Can her supporters and the Ankaase royals solidly standing for, and defending her nonsense tell me for once when these two individuals with the sitting Krontrehene done anything for Kumawuman that is worthy of praise but not condemnation? They had better give me a break. They had better join in the God's crusade being waged to find a credible candidate to become the next paramount chief from the original and genuine royal families - the Ananangyas and the Odumases. Same way as God appointed Saul and David to be Kings of Israel in their own time, so has He nominated a person after His heart to rule Kumawu. Queen Kanawu with her supporters and relatives can move the Heaven and earth, God is unmoved in His resolute decision taken. God is undeterred by the underhand dealings aimlessly indulged in by the queen in the hope of realising her malignant ostentations. As we used to joke when we were children saying, "The word tatabuta is buta" (what is written is written). God has taken, and affirmed His decision. Unless He proves Himself a liar for the first time ever, He has already appointed someone from the Ananangya/Odumase royal home to reign Kumawuman in the capacity as the paramount chief.

Was it not Kumawuhemaa with Kontrehene who endorsed that submitted Defence Statement alleging that the Ananangya and the Odumase royal family members are slaves as a result of which they are illegible to become paramount rulers of Kumawuman? These people being accused of slavery are the very matrilineal descent of Barima Tweneboa Kodua 1, that warrior King of Kumawuman. This queen with her matrilineal lineage has been proved by my extensive research to be rather the slaves. Their forebear to ever descend to Kumawu for the first time was one "AYO", a sparkling fair-coloured Fulani slave girl purchased from the Ejisu market, an apple of every man's. To know more about her, please do read my archived write-ups or be prepared to grab a copy of the book I may write when I put my memoirs together. Kumawuhemaa in my estimation is unfortunately that proverbial pot that calls the kettle you are black.

Can one talk to the ears of Kumawuhemaa in secret? When Asantehene talks to her ear as a girlfriend, confiding some plans in her, she lets the secret out of the bag, out of her slimy mouth. She can continue to live in that fantasy world of heir's. The truth has been established by my history research that she is not a genuine royal after all. Until a public narration of the historical background of the competing royal families is told, she can continue to wallow in the stupidity of all the assurances alleged by her to have been given her by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. She is to overcome that hurdle of the invocation of oath on her. She is to overcome that Wurukye's (alias "Akokohwede") invocation of oath alleging that both the Ankaase and the Ananangyas cum Odumases are not the rightful royals but she with her family. She is to convince the entire Kumawuman public how those she alleges as slaves were same to be alleged as her brothers and sisters before Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, consequent upon which she was slapped with a second invocation of oath to the contrary. She is to convince me as a person, a historian of some sort, a vessel of God; and God Himself why she should be allowed to appoint her own candidate from the supposed Ankaase royal family to rule. She should tell Kumawuman citizens why she had decided to sidestep tradition to impose her choice of candidate on Kumawuman. Why did she not declare the paramount chief's throne vacant after the demise of Barima Asumadu Sakyi II, and requested interested royals to present their drinks but chose to pursue her selfish agenda? Why did she panic, avoiding going down that path of sudden death? She had always and still continues to see Kunmawuman citizens as timid fools hence, the course of her action.

Little did Kumawuhemaa know that God had prepared a vessel in the person of John Fosu, a mere person of no public standing, an unknown alumnus of Tweneboa Kodua Secondary School to take her on, and expose her wicked intentions to cut short her evil aspirations. She had only seen poor Ananangyas and Odumases and had thought they were no match for her status, connections and affluence. Is it not a shock to her, how God has strengthened the resolve of the Ananangyas/Odumases to take back what is rightfully theirs but usurped from them by the malicious plots of Yaw Dabo, that mischievous ancestor of the Ankaase royals?

Kumawuman citizens, please lend me your support to win this fight for you. Please don't see me as uncouth, a verbal basher of Kumawuhemaa, to deny me your unflinching support. I am pursuing God's course of action to liberate you from the rotten, corrupt, greedy and selfish traditional reign of the queen and her Ankaase monopolists. Why do they think they have an imperative obligation to keep Barima Tweneboa Kodua's throne as theirs forever? How are they related to Barima Tweneboa Kodua, the warrior chief of Kumawuman? Oh little minds, I assure you that this battle of nerves will take an unprecedented unpalatable turn should Asantehene allow Kumawuhemaa to have her way as she alleges. The Asantehene's Great oath is there to be respected. It has got the potency to resolve the pending Kumawuman chieftaincy dispute to the satisfaction of all and sundry. Why has the Kumawuhemaa after two years of alleging to consult with her elders on their eligibility as the sole occupants of the Tweneboa Kodua stool not been able to report back to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II? Who does she think she is fooling? It is neither God, nor John, nor the suffering Kumawuman citizens. She is fooling herself. She is in real trouble. If I were her, I would throw in the towel, the only escape route available to any sensible person in her situation. She is in for a calamitous disgrace if she pursues that course of stubborn resolve to keep the seat at all cost irrespective of any historical revelations to the contrary.

John Fosu