Otumfuo Osei Tutu II
Until recently only a few persons took note of the subtle clean-up of the chieftaincy institution in Asanteman.
In the past fortnight or
so some chiefs have lost access to the stools they have occupied for twenty years
or so and for good reason.
They have defied the directives
of the King of the Asante Kingdom and undertaken actions unilaterally.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo
Osei Tutu II, is one monarch whose obsession with maintaining the sanctity of the
cultural heritage of his ancestors and of Ghana is not in doubt. Therefore, his
efforts in weeding out bad nuts who have found themselves occupying stools
under him are commendable.
Chieftaincy is today
associated with money where there is land to be sold sometimes under dubious
circumstances. There have, therefore, been many instances of litigation
occasioned by breaches and therefore requiring somebody with superior authority
cracking the traditional whip which is what the King is rightly doing.
The litigation over land in
the urban parts of the country especially Accra and Kumasi are enormous and
time-consuming. While some of these cases are within the powers of such
important overlords like the Asante King, some of his subjects for reasons best
known to them have defied his orders not to turn to the courts in such matters.
Having committed the unthinkable in defying the orders of the King, they
deserve the consequences of their disobedience.
The double transaction
over land by some minor chiefs has left behind sour taste in the palates of
many victims in the urban areas as noted in a preceding paragraph.
As representatives of our
cultural heritage chiefs must not only uphold the values and mores of their
people, they must also represent models for their subjects to emulate.
However, when they fall
short of the standards expected of them as those who have lost access to stools
they occupied courtesy of the orders of
the Otumfuo, the King deserves commendation.
His action is a
housecleaning exercise which must be a continuous process to ensure the purity
of what the ancestors of the Kingdom bequeathed to their descendants.
The important role of the
chieftaincy institution can only be maintained when such housecleaning
exercises are undertaken.
We have heard about chiefs
showing apprehension over the King’s ongoing action. They should not be scared
if they have not done anything untoward such as breaching the standards of
discipline and the directives of the King.
We recommend the King’s
module for adoption by other superior traditional leaders in other parts of the
country.
The nation’s capital which
unfortunately is no showpiece of cultural discipline needs such action. In the
absence of such an overlord authority as it obtains in Accra the unwholesome
scenarios of two or even three claimants to one stool will prevail.
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