King Solomon by Name but Not by Good Deeds!

t long ago, in the modern day history of Ghana, and especially, in that of the Ashantis, a King rose up. Many a Ghanaian or an Ashanti could see some traits of biblical King Solomon in him hence admirably started addressing him as King Solomon. They revered him for a personal education policy he implemented; a policy aimed at assisting and elevating poor but brilliant and needy pupils/students from poverty by funding them to study to acquire higher education qualifications, the often sure gateway to success in life. The scale of this philanthropic policy was unique, without its precedence ever seen in the annals of Ghana's education.

Barely had it started when perceived acts of corruption, mismanagement, purposive to swindle some stakeholders to render the policy laughably ineffective set in. In less than no time, the policy arguably crumbled like a pack of cards all under the watch of the nominative King Solomon.

Would the true biblical King Solomon sit on his lap, twirl his fingers, oblivious of his surroundings as though lost in some distant thoughts while the imminence of the collapse of the policy looms? No, he wouldn't. However, the Ashanti's King Solomon did.

Did the biblical King Solomon ever adjudicate cases delivering doubtful decisions let alone, completely absurd ones that defy common sense? No! Nonetheless, the modern day Ghanaian King Solomon does. When he knows very well that his decision is absolutely crap or prejudiced, he goes on to stubbornly, if not pompously, declare that, "No court in Ghana can ever reverse my decisions, or else there wouldn't be the Golden Stool and I wouldn't be Asantehene". This is made evident in a fifteen-second video clip of him posted on YouTube titled, "Is there any one man bigger than..." This video clip is a follow up of an earlier one on the same YouTube portal titled, "Asantehene involves in corruption" where he was seen arrogating to himself powers not within, but miles away from his traditional and constitutional sphere of influence as the Ceremonial Head of Asanteman.

As intelligent and fair as the biblical King Solomon was, he would, and did never, go seeking to cunningly deprive his subjects of their properties and wealth. But Ghana's King Solomon does. He goes go to the other Divisions (States) within Asanteman not only to sell their lands and pockets the money but also, removes genuine chiefs or imposes accomplices of his choice as paramount chiefs (Amanhene) of such Divisions. The ongoing Kumawu chieftaincy saga of which God has appointed me as His vessel to update the whole world on its stage developments, bringing out both the known and hidden facts and evidence to the public domain, is a vivid or classical example of how "Ashanti Nana", Ghana's one and only King Solomon behaves. What about the incidents of Pakyi Nos. 1 and 2 in the Ashanti region?

Ghana's King Solomon possibly rivals biblical King Solomon only in the area of womanising but surely to a limited extent. While the proper King Solomon is recorded to have had 700 wives and 300 concubines ( 1 Kings 11:3), the one of modern day Ghana has only one officially recognised wife and a handful of girlfriends (concubines). In all other areas of say, intelligence, wisdom, fairness, discernment etc., the current Ghana's King Solomon will honestly be written off as a nonstarter. He will comparatively be classified as a situation of finding or searching for a needle in a haystack.

Respect is earned but not commanded. Biblical King Solomon earned his worldwide reputation as the wisest man to have ever lived on earth through his acts of discernment. He did not intimidate people to respect him as it is contrary the case with our current King Solomon.

The real King Solomon would not have gone any further to exhibit acts of ignorance or folly as soon as Kumawuhemaa Abenaa Serwaah Amponsah declared in public, in front of about one thousand people among who were Asanteman chiefs and the current King Solomon that she had paid bribes to some Kumawu Kingmakers. She went further to indicate that she had done that with the aim of influencing their vote in favour of her nominated candidate (Dr Yaw Sarfo) to get him enstooled as Kumawuhene. Knowing very well that such commission was criminal, an act breaching the Ghana Criminal Code 1960 (Act 29) – Sections 239 to 247, Section 13 of Warrington Notes and conventional decisions taken by the Asante Confederacy chiefs which have become applicable laws since 1938 and as comprehensively explained in Dr K. A. Busia's book titled, "THE POSITION OF CHIEF IN THE MODERN POLITICAL SYSTEM OF ASHANTI", the Ashanti King Solomon insisted on Kumawuhemaa having her way. In so doing, he breached Article 296 of the 1992 Republican Constitution himself.

The modern day King Solomon must accept the fact that he is no match for the biblical King Solomon, the lace of whose sandals he is not worthy to untie. Subsequently, he has to declare to the whole world he is no longer to be called King Solomon, either mockingly or truthfully. He has also to go back to read about the story of the real King Solomon, drinks from his overflowing fountain of wisdom and then behaves appropriately.

Finally, it takes a man to swallow his pride to say sorry. Will "Ashanti Nana", the modern day King Solomon say sorry to Kumawuman people and all those he has wronged through his dubious acts for sometime now? Ghana is suffering partly because of him, he can believe me or not. The country would not be in its current socio-economic quagmire had it not been him acting in a perceived criminal way just before the declaration of the Supreme Court's verdict on Election 2012 petition.

Lest I forget, Ghana's King Solomon may be the richest person in the Ashanti region as he proudly tells people, but are his riches acquired genuinely? Even if they were or are acquired genuinely, he still falls miles behind the biblical King Solomon in wealth.

By deeds, there has never been, and will never be, a second King Solomon in the world.

Until he apologetically pulls out from the Kumawu chieftaincy dispute of which I am armed to the teeth with facts and evidence contrary to his beliefs and aspirations, God will not let him know peace.

Rockson Adofo