Okyehene dismay about indiscipline in society

Accra, Aug. 24, GNA - Osagyefo Amotia Ofori Panin, Okyehene on Saturday expressed dismay with the way indiscipline is eating deep into the fabric of society.

He said the respect for the rule of law; discipline and authority are eroding in society in recent times.

"People have become so indisciplined that they deliberately cause problems

to others such as the building of houses in waterways to cause floods, which destroys the property of others," he said.

Osagyefo Amotia was speaking to members of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors, who paid a courtesy call on him at his palace at Kibi in the Eastern Region.

Members of the Institution wanted to know at first hand the extent of degradation in some forest reserves, including the Atiwa.

Osagyefo Amotia said jealousy and greed were some of the factors that were leading a lot of people to scramble for land and other properties, contributing to the spate of indiscipline in recent times. He said in the past, verbal byelaws were made in palaces and they become biding on all community members but in recent times even legislative instruments were being abused with impunity.

He said the culture of the people, which promoted security, co-operation and love for community ownership have all failed to unite and promote discipline in the society, as was the case in the past. Osagyefo Amotia called on society to learn from past generations about how they preserved their natural resources through the institution of taboos and norms that prohibited the cultivation and visit to some areas, especially forest and river basins.

"If God gave man the authority to overlook all creation, that does not mean we should spoil it but rather to protect and rehabilitate areas that were depreciating,"

"Those who made conservation laws in the past were all illiterates yet, their wisdom helped to conserve the forest with all its natural resources for the present generation. In spite of education and globalisation in the world today, things are going from bad to worst," he said.

Mr. Julius Krampah, President of the Institution said members of the association has started offering voluntary services to people who cannot afford to pay for the services of surveyors. He said the Lands Valuation Board has also started preparing fieldsheets for communities that had at least 5,000 and more residents. All regional and district capitals have also been earmarked for the fact sheet, he said.