[ 2013-12-10 ]

Government, judiciary must apologise to Otumfuo, Asanteman
I must say that the outcome of the recent Election
petition hearing had contributed to the decline of
the judiciary because the case of the petitioners
could have been thrown away in the initial stages
and immediately strike it out.
A case of prima facie should have long been
determined within four weeks. Instead, the nine
Judges allowed it to travel nine months before
telling Ghanaians that the petitioners had no case
with a 5-4 ruling in favor of President John
Mahama.

Ashantis, as a people, both abroad and home, love
their powerful King, besides God Almighty, no
matter the situation, and if the Mahama-led
government decides not to apologise to our King,
the Asantehene, we would not complain any further
but Ethiopians shall definitely rise one day.
Is Ashanti region not part of Ghana that anybody
at all could level false allegations without
restraint against the Asantehene and go scot free?
We also want to place on record that we would not
hesitate to petition the International Chief
Justices Association, regarding the refusal of the
Chief Justice to act, to protect the interest of
its citizens including the Asantehene by
overlooking the wild accusations against
him.

I am taking this opportunity to remind the Chief
Justice that there exist a cordial relationship
between Ashanti Kingdom and for that matter
Manhyia Palace and she should strive to sustain
this by according it the necessary courtesies and
respect. As Ghanaians we should live as one people
and not discriminate against any person. I recall
a situation when I had to bail out the late
Omanhene of Oguaa, Nana Mbra, when he was
stranded at Heathrow Airport while in transit from
America. I had to renew his expired ticket which
barred him from travelling from London to Accra
and excess freight. I acted swiftly on the
recommendations of Sam Cudjoe, a former Regional.

Minister who stayed at Union Road Battesea
SW11,which I obliged because I had great respect
for chieftaincy and tradition and did not allow
the great Fante chief to be stranded because of
1,800 pounds. The Fante chief even accused the
Fante Association in UK headed by one Aggrey that
an Ashanti man readily rescued him and that he
would report this to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku
Ware II when he returns home that the son of the
Golden Stool helped him out when he got stranded.

The Fante chief, who also remarked that his own
kinsmen did not respect chiefs and had not even
paid homage to him while in London and not even a
bottle of schnapps or Coca-Cola was offered him,
had since expressed appreciation through the
telephone and a formal letter wishing me and the
Ashanti Community in UK God’s blessings. The
late Chief Justice Kingsley Acquah is one person
who was in good terms with the Ashanti Kingdom and
enjoyed the largesse of Asantehene through the
Ghana Democratic Movement.

I had met late CJ Acquah in London after he had
enquired about me through General Erskine’s
junior brother to thank me for the role I played
in the legal suit regarding the Independent
newspaper and Kojo Tsikata about the murder of the
three high court judges which suit the
London-based newspaper won against Kojo Tsikata as
a result of the inputs I made by way of
information.
I had sent him (CJ Acquah) a copy of the judgment
a day after the ruling. Since then, we had become
friends and I paid the late Chief Justice a visit
anytime I came to Ghana. The late Chief Justice
Acquah told me he had opened a correspondence file
for the Ghana Democratic Movement at his office.

When we met in London, the late Justice Acquah
requested to see Otumfuo Osei Tutu upon which I
took him to Otumfuo’s residence where he
explained that he was in London for holidays and a
medical check-up. Otumfuo further instructed me to
take proper care of his shopping expenses for
which I willingly obliged. One day thereafter
whilst in Ghana when I met the late Justice Acquah
at Manhyia Palace, the late Chief Justice lauded
me amid praises telling Otumfuo Osei Tutu II in
the presence of other chiefs that I had taken very
good care of him on the orders of Otumfuo when he
was in London. He was very pleased for the warm
reception I accorded him in London.

Following, the mutual co-existence of the
Judiciary and Manhyia in the face of the
allegations against our King, we the Ghana
Democratic Movement want to appeal to the Chief
Justice to appoint an independent Committee headed
by foreign judges from the International community
to investigate the Nine Supreme Court judges who
heard the Election Petition.

I am surprised at the silence of the Nine Supreme
Court judges themselves in the face of the
allegations of their complexity. We expect that
professional bodies and civil society including
Christian Council of Churches, National Peace
Council, Ghana Bar Association and Magistrates
and Judges Association, just to mention a few, to
condemn the wild allegations against the
Ashanti King. We of the Ghana Democratic Movement
and the Ashanti Community in UK are very much
convinced that these wild allegations against the
Asantehene were deliberate attempt to corrupt the
image of Otumfuo for
the sake of self-expediency.

Some years back in the United Kingdom, an MP and a
Minister of State of the Labour Government,
William Hamilton suggested that the Queen of
England be made to pay tax to the HM Inner
Revenue. This attracted a huge condemnation from
all over the UK both government and opposition and
called for his resignation which he obliged by
resigning voluntarily. Once upon a time, some
paramount chief from Ghana also impersonated as
the King of Ashanti at a church service at the
Kingsway International
Church in London owned by renowned pastor Matthew
Ashimolowo.

The said chief reportedly impersonated as the
Ashanti King. The Prince of Wales, His Royal
Highness Prince Charles who is my personal friend
and had also been invited to the church on the
occasion saw throw the trick and rebuked the
Ghanaian paramount chief by publicly questioning
him: “Where is the King, Where is the King of
Ashanti. No, you (referring to the said Paramount
chief) cannot be the King of
Ashanti.” Prince Charles consequently sent a
message of greetings to the Asantehene through the
said paramount chief in order not to embarrass
him.
If this was the fate of the British MP for
suggesting that the Queen pays tax, how would a
Ghanaian editor falsely make allegations against
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II who occupies the Golden Stool
being the fourth most revered throne in the world
after Queen Elizabeth, Saudi Arabia and
Morocco’s King Hassan. He is therefore an
international figure and that an attempt to
destroy his image affects the county as a whole.
If Prince Charles easily identified an imposter
and rebuked him why should we as Ghanaians demean
the image of Otumfuo without restraint back home.
The simple message I want to carry across is that
people should not take Otumfuo for a ride because
he is not an ordinary man.

Source - Alex Nana Asabre/Chronicle

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