Hang on, should I not have titled this publication as, "Once bitten twice shy" or "Is it Hard for Asantehene to say Sorry?" Whichever title I should have taken but did not, will in no way alter the relevance of the advice I am desirous of offering to Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
Be it clearly understood by His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Overlord of, no, sorry, the proven Ceremonial Head of, Asanteman that it takes a man to swallow his pride to say sorry.
When you realise that you have offended someone, the only noble thing to do is to accept your guilt. You then apologise to the offended. Once you bring yourself forward to accept your fault and then apologise accordingly, you then cease to continue with the act(s) that culminated in committing the offence towards the person you have offended. If done as suggested, he/she will respect you abundantly.
However, if within your heart you do realise your mistake, but for the fear of seeing yourself as belittled in the eyes of the public if you overtly acknowledged your fault, so decide never to render any apology to those that you offend, I am afraid, you will lose the offended person's respect for you forever.
Failing to swallow your pride to accept your faults will never make one a respected person but he will rather be treated with the scorn he deserves when a window of opportunity opens up. This is exactly the situation in which Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II finds himself today vis-à-vis the Kumawu chieftaincy dispute.
He desired, and had an unrelenting intention to arrogate to himself powers that would have brought Kumawu, the most historically powerful State among all the States or divisions within Asanteman, under his autocratic rule/authority. He had wanted to divest the TRUE royals (Ananangyas & Odumases) of Kumawu of their birth-right, thus, their inalienable heritage to the paramount throne of Kumawuman.
He had condoned and connived with Kumawuhemaa Nana Abenaa Serwaah Amponsah, to elevate her Kumawu Ankaase "royal" family to the status of having matrilineal lineage to Barimah Tweneboah Koduah I, the originator of the Kumawu Koduah Stool, although they have no such lineage.
Had he not arranged to survey Kumawuman stool lands in the Afram Plains and dubiously attempted to lease them to some foreign Companies, passing them away as his? Was this not the motive behind going all the way to get Dr Yaw Sarfo as the alleged Kumawuhene Barimah Sarfo Tweneboah Koduah, a total stooge that he could manipulate on a whim?
I have so much information on the intentions of Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to coerce the true Kumawu royals in order to achieve his selfish interests in Kumawuman. However, there is no need divulging them as most of them are already in the public domain.
He had proposed, but God disposed of his intentions to subjugate the people of Kumawuman by depriving the true royals of their throne.
It was not by any mistake that God let the public revelation of the judicial corruption in Ghana by Anas Aremeyaw Anas happen at the timely moment when He wanted the judges hearing the Kumawu chieftaincy dispute to tell nothing but the TRUTH.
This came to stop Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II in his vainglorious proclamations that no court in Ghana can overturn decisions he takes regardless of how unlawful some may be. Anas' revelations came to bolster the confidence of would-be coward judges to tell the truth but not to succumb to the threats or the associated eminence and fear of Asantehene's office to twist the truth.
From the few said above, and the numerous other previous insightful, informative and persuasive publications on the Kumawu chieftaincy dispute, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and his advisors, if he has any, should have learnt their bitter lessons by now. He had better steer clear from the Kumawuman chieftaincy affairs. He has no traditional rights whatsoever, to meddle in Kumawu chieftaincy affairs.
Your Majesty Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to protect the little respect left for you, and without dragging the Golden Stool through the mud, please butt out of Kumawu stool affairs for it is none of your business. The further you get involved, the more some truthful revelations will be published to probably tarnish your image.
Kumawuman citizens are fearless, especially the people from Kumawu Etia and those from Woraso. This is genetic. It is within their blood or else they would not have taken you on the way they have.
I hope you will not seek to trick anyone to get the pending court cases discontinued to give you the chance to arbitrate the dispute between the Ananangyas and the Odumases on one side, and Kumawuhemaa and Dr Yaw Sarfo on the other. How many times will you seek to fool the Ananangyas and the Odumases? Once bitten, twice shy! They will not let you fool them for the fourth or the fifth time.
"First fool is not a fool. Second fool is not a fool. But third fool is a full fool", so some people used to say. The true royals will hopefully not wish to become the FULL FOOLS.
A word to the wise is enough!
Rockson Adofo
