Trouble in Juaben

From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Nyarko, Koforidua

Some chiefs and youth of the New Juaben traditional Area yesterday demonstrated against the leadership style of the Omanhene of the area, Daasebre Oti Boateng, which they said has impacted negatively on the customs and traditions of the people and undermined development.

They described his leadership style as “dictatorial and autocratic”, contending that the customs and palace ethics of the Omanhene had fallen since rules and regulations had been ignored and abandoned.

The demonstrators said the Omanhene’s actions had also resulted in the fallen standards of the chain of command associated with the chieftaincy institution which had also affected the roles of chiefs in the traditional area.

The peaceful demonstrations went through the principal street of the municipality after a news conference at the Legion Hall here.

Some of the chiefs who took part in the demonstration were Nana Yaw Anorh, Nsemehene; Nana Oko Yaw Acheampong, Domakodehene; Nana Kwame Yeboah, Suhyen Gyasehene and Nana Akwasi Adakwa II, Abesimhene.

The demonstrators later presented a petition to the Deputy Director of the Regional Coordinating Council,Asante Baffoe.

Nana Yaw Anorh, who spoke on behalf of the chiefs, alleged that the functional roles of the chiefs were not followed and arbitrarily delegated by the Omanhene without any regard to customs and traditions.

He stated that the Omanhene’s leadership had not only made it impossible for chiefs who had been subsumed in custom and tradition to feel traditional nausea but had also repulsively compelled very important citizens, tourists investors and the youth from participating in all functions and durbars organized by the Omanhene.

“Daasebre Oti Boateng is often dictatorial and assigns people on impossible jobs and frequently applies excessive punishment on people who fail to carry out instructions to satisfy his personal ego,” Nana Annor said, “He is generally intolerant of people who question his decisions or authority,” he added.

He claimed that the municipality was fast developing not because of the efforts of the Omanhene but ‘as a result and the magnanimity of God’.

He said in the next 10 to 15 years, the youth of New Juaben would naturally lose touch with their culture and history as a result of customs and cultural inactivity and poor publicity and patronage within the traditional area.

Nana Annor alleged that some of the divisional and sub-chiefs were either hibernating or on internally self imposed exile as a result of spite, contempt or deliberate tactics that rendered them dysfunctional due to the divide and rule tactics of the Omanhene.

“These stools, have remained vacant but are of prime importance to the paramountcy,” he alleged and mentionaed the chiefs as including the Kyidomhene, Kubeasehene, Akyeamehene, Ankobeahene, Daamanhene, Ntahrahene, Denkyehene, Dwantoahene and Mawerehene, among others.

He said “some revered stools are lying idle because the leadership in the paramountcy is tactically and strategically putting impediments in their way as a result of perceived allegiance to the late Omanhene, Nana Kwaku Boateng II”.

Nana Annor pointed out that while such stools were not recognized; parallel and utopian, stools were being created.

He said the traditional council had no special meeting days or adhoc committees and that all its meeting were emergency ones and no developmental goals or aspirations of the people were discussed.

“Meetings are organized to decide on perceived personal attacks on the Omanhene or to determine the fate of chiefs for possible suspension, he said. “We are aware of the sabotage we would be facing and we are ready to face the risk,” he added.

When contacted on phone, Daasebre Oti Boateng, declined to comment on the issue but said, “I will respond at the appropriate time.”

Meanwhile some patriotic citizens of the New Juaben Traditional Area have condemned the demonstration, describing it as ill-motivated, mischievous and vexatious.

They pointed out that there were clear laid-dawn procedures for addressing chieftaincy issues and public demonstrations had never been one of them.

A release signed by Nana Kokote Asamoah II, Abenesehene of Asokore, on behalf of the patriotic citizens said: “if these demonstrators have chosen to ignore all these appeals by the New Juaben Traditional Council for peaceful resolution of issues and to embark on this uncustomary and unprecedented demonstration, then the intent is mischievous and calculated to cause disaffection of the Omanhene and other chiefs.”

*Source:

                The Ghanaian Times              Page: 17                      Wednesday, June 22, 2011.