Chieftaincy institution riddled with disputes

A total of 194 chieftaincy disputes have been recorded in the 10 Regional Houses of Chiefs throughout the country as at October 2001 while 42 were recorded at the national level.

"This means that something seriously has gone wrong with the system of selecting and installing chiefs, and the management of the affairs of some stools and skins, Mr Justice George Lamptey a retired Justice of the Supreme Court said on Tuesday.

Justice Lamptey was addressing the first meeting of the Presidential Commission on Chieftaincy under his chairmanship.

"We are aware of the consequences of this situation. We have all been witnesses to violent conflicts that have characterised the affairs of the institution and the instability it has unfortunately generated."

Mr Justice Lamptey said the chieftaincy institution since independence had been fully recognised as an important one and the government had found it an obligation to ensure that whatever had gone wrong was eventually corrected to ensure that the institution took its status of glory.

He noted that the institution had an acknowledgement of being what he described as " active processor of state power, and possessor of the spirit of our ancestors and of the State."

Mr Justice Lamptey said: "It is an institution that has remarkable resilience and, therefore, remains the basic vehicle for the mobilisation of the people for development. It is a vital link between the people and the Central government."

On the issue of Chiefs taking part in partisan politics, The Retired Jurist said that as part of the local government decentralisation programme it would be fair for chiefs to be involved since that one did not involve party politics.

"Besides chiefs being leaders of their communities can initiate development project and mobilise the people to get involved."

Professor George Hagan, Chairman of the National Commission on Culture, who is a member of the Commission, said although the Constitution stipulated non-interference in chieftaincy affairs by the Executive, government had a role to play in resolving conflicts, which might affect national security and development.

Members of the Commission include Nana Ampadu Daadwan of Mpraeso; Mr Kwabena Damuah, Businessman; Naa Edmund Dramani Mahami; Naa Wa-Argbandana; Mamaga Kofi Bra, Queenmother of Peki Traditional Area and Dr Irene Odotei, Former Director of Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon.