GHANAIANS URGED TO SUSTAIN PREVAILING PEACE

The Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Daasebre Oti Boeateng, has called on Ghanaians to be grateful to God for the peace and unity currently prevailing in the country.

He has also asked them to strive to consciously preserve the peace by continuing to show concern toward one another.

Speaking during the celebration of Akwasidae at his place in Koforidua last Sunday, Daasebre Oti Boateng said, “ The tenets of good democracy, such as freedom of movement, speech, association and religion are all values that we should cherish and make a conscious effort to protect.”

We have no other land of our birth to enjoy our freedom as a people with a common destiny than our own mother Ghana and we must, therefore, consciously strive to protect our land.” he stated.

The event, which was also used to mark the 70th birthday of the Omanhene, was attended by a number of dignitaries, including the Eastern Regional Minister Mr. Kwadwo Affram Asiedu; the New Juaben Municipal Chief Executive, Nana Adjei Boateng;the municipal co-ordinating Director, Mr. K. M. Offei; chiefs and queens of the area.

Recounting a personal experience on a recent visit to Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire at the invitation of the United Nations, Daasebre Oti Boateng said there was nothing that could severely affect the socio-economic development of any country more than conflicts and wars.

According to him, the two war-torn countries that in the past basked in tremendous socio-economic development had had their severely drawn back for several decades, a situation that had set them on a struggling path to make a headway to achieve their past glories.

He, therefore appealed to Ghanaians, especially as the December election drew nearer, to continue to live in peace to sustain the peace in the country.

Touching on health, the 70-year-old Omanhene also counted a recent UN-sponsored visit to Dimona, a city in Israel, where, as a result of good healthy lifestyles, no person has died there for the past 70 years.

He stated that since a healthy nation could only be built by healthy people, Ghanaians must learn to observe the importance of good living by keeping their environment clean and avoiding excessive lifestyles that could pre dispose them to various diseases.

“Living a healthier and longer life is a choice that we should try to adopt,” he said, adding that that could only be achieved if the people also undertook regular physical exercises and adhered to balanced diets.

“It is my hope that Ghanaians will live beyond the average lifespan and go beyond 60 and 70 years to enable us enjoy the fruits of our old age”, Daasebre stressed.

On chieftaincy disputes, the Omanhene stated that since chiefs are playing a very important role not only in the preservation of customs and traditions but also good governance, there should be a proper records for eligible royals to occupy stools, a measure, which he said, would go a long way to curtail the many chieftaincy disputes in the country.

*Source:
                 Daily Graphic page 39 Thursday, May 22, 2008