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01.04.2007 General News

Ada chiefs berate assemblymen

01.04.2007 LISTEN
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Some community chiefs have expressed concern about the relationship between traditional rulers and some assembly members.

They said some assembly members show disrespect towards chiefs in their electoral areas, which in some cases had resulted in violent clashes.

This was brought to light, when a group belonging to the Ada Coastal Chiefs Union called on the Paramount Chief of the Ada Traditional Area, Dzetse Mene Abram Kabu Akuaku III, at his residence at Big Foa.

The Chairman of Union, Mene Larbia Ankrah Kitcher, said that some assembly members organized meetings without informing the chiefs of the various communities, which could bring about unrest, if immediate solution was not found.

In some communities, such behaviour has led to violent clashes between chiefs and assemblymen disrupting meetings and communal labour organized by assemblymen.

One of the senior divisional chiefs of the Kudragbe clan of Ada, Asafoatse Tsatsu Perdiator said constitutionally assembly members were elected to represent the central government at the grass root level just to bring about good governance at the doorstep of every Ghanaian citizen and do not have the same powers enjoyed by traditional leaders.

According to Asafoatse Tsatsu Perdiator, assembly members had no constitutional right to beat “gongon” to organize the electorate. He said they must first inform the chief and elders of the
community.

Another senior Divisional Chief of the Dangmebiawer clan, Asafoatse Osabutey Lanuer Okumo said all assembly members were given orientation on their duties and therefore were expected to ensure peace, tranquility and development.

He urged chiefs that if an assemblyman erred in his dealing with them, they should not use violence means of solving the problem but to channel their grievances for amicable settlement.

The Paramount chief of Ada Dzetse Mene Abram Kabu Akuaku commended the sub chiefs along the coast of Ada for forming a union to join hands with him to find lasting solution to the problem of sea erosion.

Source: GNA

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