Accept the location of capital for Gomoa East - MP

The Member of Parliament for Gomoa West, Mr Joe Kingsley Hackman, has appealed to the people of Gomoa to accept the decision of President J.A. Kufuor to site the capital of the newly created Gomoa East District at Afransi.

"The President knows what is good for the district and knows why he has decided to site the capital at Afransi and not at Potsin the choice of the majority", the MP said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Apam.

He said what was important was the splitting of the district into two to accelerate development.

"This", he said, "the President has done and we should be grateful to him rather than fight over where the capital should be".

Mr Hackman said even though the paramount chiefs and some of their sub chiefs, the two MPs, the Presiding Member and District Chief Executive had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to site the new capital at Potsin, no one knew the President's thought, which compelled him to reject the MOU.

Where the district capital should be should not be an impediment to the development of the area, he said and urged the chiefs and the people to forge ahead in unity to develop the area.

In a related development Obrifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea II, the Omanhene of Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area, has expressed surprise at the utterances of his counterpart at Gomoa Ajumako Traditional area, Okatakyi Nyanful Krampah X.

Obrifo said he was not against the capital being at Afransi but what surprised him was for Okatakyi Krampah who was a signatory to the MOU to turn round to accuse the people of Akyempim of enslaving their counterparts at Ajumako.

"We should be sincere in all our actions as we have sworn an oath to be faithful to our people at all times", he said.

The Paramount Chief said Gomoa District comprised 197 communities out of which 151 belong to Akyempim and 46 to Ajumako.

He said in the new Gomoa East District Akyempim had more communities than Ajumako so he had a say in its affairs.

"We want the capital to be accessible to all communities hence the decision to suggest Potsin, which is more central, he said.