Stop showing your political colours – Otumfuo warns chiefs again

Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has cautioned his fellow chiefs to stop meddling in partisan politics as the December 7 2020 polls approach.

The Asante monarch gave the admonition at a meeting of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs on Wednesday, October 7, 2020.

He said: “The chieftaincy institution is a very important one in this country, thus, its existence. It existed before Western democracy came to our shores but, I think, sometimes, we forget that we are chiefs and jump into the political fray and meddle with the politicians”.

According to him, “it will be problematic for chiefs to become like the politicians instead of being the institution the former rather should be running to in times of trouble for us to advise them and also serve as arbiters”.

“As chiefs, each of us has a preferred political parties but just don’t show your political colours.

“Chiefs have the right to vote but the Constitution bars us from taking part in active politics or supporting one party against the other.

“This is because, as chiefs, we have subjects who belong to either side of the political divide in their jurisdictions. You are a chief for all of them and, so, you have to be neutral but when you get to the voting booth on election day, you are free to vote for whichever party you support”, Otumfuo said.

He added: “As chiefs, we work with the party in power for development and, so, we must all be cautious and guard against meddling in partisan politics so as to maintain the honour and dignity of the chieftaincy institution”.

This is not the first time Otumfuo has given such admonition to his fellows.

About a month ago, he told his colleagues that so far as chiefs in Ghana keep running to politicians for favours, the chieftaincy front will remain divided and eventually lose its relevance.

At the opening ceremony of the National House of Chiefs’ building, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said: “As fathers of this nation, politics came to meet you and the politicians came later … but ask yourself, why are you not being recognised as such? It is because of our own doing”.

“We troop to politicians begging them for certain things so we’re divided in the front. You have to be united; you should know the essence of chieftaincy.

“Let them come to you for advice, let them come to you for direction… if we don’t do that and we go for our petty whatever benefits that we want, you’ll sell your heritage to the politician.

“I’m stressing this because chieftaincy has something to do for Ghana and if we don’t, the relevance of it will be questioned by the youth who don’t appreciate yesterday but today,” the Asante monarch added.