In defence of National House of Chiefs
The chieftaincy institution is a creature of the Fourth Republican Constitution.
Article 270 (1), says: “The institution of chieftaincy, together with its traditional councils as established by customary law and usage, is hereby guaranteed.”
The Constitution also establishes the National House of Chiefs and the regional houses of chiefs. Every traditional council is served by staff whose emoluments are charged on the Consolidated Fund.
As creatures of statutes, these institutions are state-owned and must, therefore, be resourced by the government. Indeed, these institutions fall under the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs.
Since President John Mahama presented 15 new four-wheel pick-up vehicles to support the work of chiefs in the country, a section of the populace has questioned the government’s gesture, describing it as a move to buy the loyalty of chiefs.
Unfortunately, very respected and knowledgeable personalities of our country have been part of the campaign to ridicule chiefs for selling their conscience to the government and also joining the government to promote misplaced priorities.
Critics of the vehicle donation have the right to question the judgement of the government in donating the vehicles at this time of economic challenges in all spheres of national life.
As citizens of the land, we have the right to interrogate our governments on their stewardship, including how they manage our resources. But that is as far as we could go, but not impugn the integrity of our leaders when we do not have any evidence to buttress our stance.
How on earth can anybody say that the donation of vehicles to chiefs to run the National House of Chiefs and the regional houses of chiefs is an attempt by President Mahama to bribe chiefs to sing his praises?
It is also outrageous to suggest that the chiefs have taken bribe from the President when these vehicles are not donations to them personally but just on account of their membership of the two bodies.
Even in making the donation to chiefs in Kumasi, it was explained that two of the vehicles were for the Chieftaincy Secretariat in Accra.
Whatever modern politics has done to undermine the role of chiefs in national development, they continue to play key roles in mobilising people, especially in the countryside, to promote development.
Certainly, it is not everyone who is happy with the chieftaincy institution when skins and stools have gone to the highest bidders and some key players in the sector have played various roles to ignite chieftaincy and land conflicts in the country.
The Daily Graphic does not expect that the chieftaincy institution would be scrapped on account of a few bad lots in their midst. What we need to do is identify those bad ones, name and shame them in order to encourage the good ones to keep the flame burning for the good of Mother Ghana.
We insist that it is unfair for anybody to insult chiefs for receiving their fair share of the national cake to run a state body that must deliver results for national development.
The Daily Graphic is happy with the present liberalised media landscape, but this important national resource must be used to galvanise the people for development through the provision of knowledge and enlightenment.
It should not be used to poison the atmosphere and sow seeds of discord, division, hatred and ignorance.
