The National Chairman of Gomoa Fetteh Youth Association, Mr. Afful Annan, at the weekend called on Parliament to amend the 1992 Constitution to make it possible for the government to intervene in chieftaincy disputes.
Mr. Annan said considering the great cost to the people of Ghana when chieftaincy disputes lead to death and destruction of property the clause that forbids the government from involving itself in chieftaincy affairs is no longer tenable.
He said if the government is allowed to find means of resolving chieftaincy disputes at their early stages it would not only ensure peace but would also save resources that are spent on conflict management.
Mr. Annan was addressing a durbar at Gomoa Fetteh to climax celebration of the annual Akwambo Festival of the people and also mark the formal outdooring of Nana Abor Yamoah II, chief of the Feteh.
Nana Yamoah, who was enstooled in 1997, was not officially outdoored due to litigation that has now been resolved. He was carried in a palanquin through the streets of the town amidst drumming and dancing.
Mr. Annan suggested that the government should be allowed to appoint regents through either Regional Houses or National House of Chiefs in conflict areas and give them guidelines to carry on with the general administration of the area or town concerned, while the feuding factions make efforts to sort themselves out either in court or through arbitration.
He said, this would free the people from ''the claws of power-drunk aspiring chiefs, who do not think about the well-being of their subjects.''
Nana Yamoah appealed to the citizens to put the past behind them and forge in unity to build the town. He appealed to people, who are not citizens, but are in positions to influence events in Fetteh to make their thoughts and actions to be in the best interest of the people.
Nana Yamoah said gone were the days when chiefs gained fame through wars they had won, adding, "this time round, popularity of a chief would be determined by the measures he puts put in place to conquer ignorance, poverty, disease and negative mind sets.''
