Were the actions of the Chief Linguist on 24 February 2014 at the Asanteman Council sitting not designed to intimidate a party involved in the case? The sitting was intended for arbitrating the Kumawu chieftaincy dispute. The tone of his voice, body language and bullying behaviour and actions, apparently showed on which side he stood, or on which side his bread was deliciously heavily bettered. This is without any allusion to sarcasm, please.
He would not allow the aggrieved persons (complainants) to state their case as they would without persistently cutting in and finally stopping them. I am not more worried about this than when it was his turn to share his views on whether or not the invokers of the Asantehene’s Great Oath had been reckless in their act, and also, if Kumawuhemaa had acted correctly in deciding who the next Kumawuhene should be.
He said to Kumawu Aduanahene, Nana Sarfo Agyekum, “Nana Aduana, don’t do what you are doing. It is not good of you at all. If you are Aduanahene, continue to be Aduanahene” He then raised his voice and said, “It is only from your household that people are chosen to occupy the Kumawu Aduanahene stool but not from anywhere else. The person who created the Aduanahene stool for your family knew why he made you so. If you don’t know the history about its creation, find it out. Keep to your Aduanahene stool and stop interfering with issues pertaining to the Kumawu paramount stool”
On the swearers of the Asantehene’s Great Oath (Asantehene Ntamkesie), he turned to face them saying, “You people are in trouble. You have been reckless to invoke the oath hence your actions are completely frivolous. You will be seriously dealt with. Kumawuhemaa has done perfectly well. She has acted within the confinement of Asante custom, tradition and usage”
As if that was not enough, he proceeded to say, “As I speak, there are people still outside there distributing money. However, in this house (referring to Asanteman Council); no amount of money can buy anyone. We shall resort to only the truth to conduct our job. Nobody, I repeat, nobody, can use money to resolve the Kumawu case but the truth”
I am going to limit myself to only his statements about Kumawu Aduanahene, Nana Sarfo Agyekum and about the reference to an alleged distribution of money outside the doors of Asanteman Council on 24 February 2014.
The Chief Linguist does not know fully the history of Kumawuman. Certainly, he is 100% conversant with the details about the creation of the Kumawu Aduanahene stool, but not the functions of the occupants of the stool. The stool was not created for the Kumawu Aduana royal family only to exist in name without performing any functions. It was also not created by the late Barimah Otuo Acheampong as insistently but erroneously asserted by Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. It was created by Barimah Kwame Afram. Additionally, it was not created for only the Odumases but also, for all the Ananangyas and the Ankaases to submit themselves under the authority of the stool.
I will advise the Chief Linguist to go back to the Manhyia archives or to any reputable national or international library to do a research work on Kumawu and the functions of the Kumawu Aduanahene. This is an easy home work (assignment) for him to complete within weeks. I detest people making false claims in public. Nobody will be that stupid to create a position if the person in that position has no specific role to play.
On the issue of people distributing envelopes containing money with intent to induce the recipients to vote otherwise, or to court their support, the Chief Linguist had been temerarious enough to utter that statement. Why did he not call the police for them knowing, if his claim was true, that those people involved in that bribery act were committing a crime frowned upon by the Ghana Criminal Code Act 1960? He saw nothing wrong about Kumawuhemaa claiming to have bribed the Kumawu electors. Is bribery not a crime in Ghana?
To the Chief Linguist, he had better apologise to Kumawu Aduanahene, Kumawuman people and to the entire Asante people for acting untowardly in the presence of a great congregation on that fateful day. He knows about the Kumawu Aduanahene’s stool but does not know that the Ankaase “royal” family is not a true royal family of the matrilineal descent of Barimah Tweneboah Koduah I. What a shame?
THE TRUTH SHALL OUT. THE BATTLE TO LIBERATE KUMAWUMAN FROM LIARS, ROGUES, EXPLOITERS ETC., IS STILL THE LORD’S.
Rockson Adofo
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