Memorandum To His Royal Majesty Osagyefo Agyeman Badu II, Dormaahene, President Of The Dormaa Traditional Council

Dear Fellow Adikanfo and Your Royal Majesty,

I have the honour to submit this Memorandum with the utmost respect for your office as the Paramount Chief of Dormaa and the Traditional Overlord of Chiraa.

My growing concern prompts this Memorandum that the protracted dispute over the Chiraa Krontire Stool has reached a stage where it threatens not only the peace and stability of Chiraa but also the authority of the Dormaa Traditional Council, the dignity of our customary institutions, and public confidence in the administration of traditional justice.

The issue before Your Majesty is no longer simply a disagreement within one royal family. It has become a matter affecting the effective governance and development of the Benkum Division (Chiraa) of the Dormaa Traditional Area.

The substantive dispute concerns the nomination and installation of the occupant of the Chiraa Krontire Stool in the town.

According to Akan customs and traditions, the nomination of a Krontihene or any chief for that matter, is the responsibility of the respective legitimate royal families, acting through their recognized customary authorities, including the Queen Mother and the Head of the particular family.

In accordance with these customs, the current nominated Krontihene of Chiraa-Kru Brempong-was nominated and enstooled by the recognized customary authorities of the Krontire Family, that is, the Kronihemaa and head of the Krontire family in 2022.

As you may be aware, the nomination of Kru Brempong has consistently been maintained by those customary authorities despite sustained opposition by a section of the Krontire family at Chiraa.

Your Royal Highness, since the dispute began, the matter has been considered by both the customary and civil judicial systems, and among the significant developments are that:

The Judicial Committee of the Dormaa Traditional Council has removed the impediments (injunction) preventing Nana Kru Brempong from assuming office, while the High Court at Sunyani likewise issued orders clearing the way for his swearing of the Oath of Allegiance before the Chiraahene.

These decisions should ordinarily have brought finality to the matter, but unfortunately, that has not occurred and the deadlock continues.

Despite these decisions, the Oath of Allegiance has not been administered, a situation that has occasioned the following consequences:

1. the Krontire Stool remains effectively vacant;
2. tensions within the Krontire Family continue;
3. repeated legal proceedings have delayed final resolution;
4. and the Chiraahene now reportedly faces contempt proceedings arising from the failure to comply with the High Court's order.

Whatever the outcome of those proceedings, the situation reflects an institutional crisis that deserves Your Majesty's urgent attention because of the broader Constitutional and Customary issues involved.

Specifically, the present dispute raises broader Constitutional questions regarding the respective customary responsibilities of:

• the Queenmother;
• the Chiraahene;
• the Krontihemaa;
• the Head of the Krontire Family; and
• the Dormaa Traditional Council.

Clarification of these responsibilities by Your Majesty would help prevent similar disputes in the future.

Because the dispute has now extended over several years, its consequences extend far beyond one stool. In the opinion of many citizens, prolonged uncertainty has adversely affected local governance, discouraged development initiatives, divided families, and diminished public confidence in traditional institutions.

Reports of similar disagreements concerning traditional appointments in communities such as Asuakwaa, Akyeremenyaa, Zongo, and other settlements suggest the need for broader institutional reforms to clarify customary procedures.

Your Majesty has always been recognized as a traditional ruler committed to justice and the preservation of customary law. Accordingly, I respectfully appeal that Your Majesty may consider:

1. Facilitating the implementation of the decisions already reached through the appropriate customary and legal processes.
2. Clarifying the customary limits of the powers exercised by the various traditional office holders in relation to the appointment of sub-chiefs and family office holders.
3. Encouraging all parties to bring the present litigation to a conclusion.
4. Restoring public confidence in the authority of the Dormaa Traditional Council.
5. Promoting reconciliation among all members of the Krontire Family and the wider Chiraa community.

In conclusion, Your Royal Majesty, every generation encounters moments that define its legacy. I respectfully believe that the Chiraa Krontire dispute presents such a moment.

Future generations will remember not merely that a dispute existed, but whether justice was allowed to prevail through the wisdom, courage, and fairness of traditional leadership.

I therefore humbly place this Memorandum before Your Majesty with confidence that your leadership will help restore peace, uphold justice, and strengthen the unity of Chiraa and the Dormaa Traditional Area.

Yours faithfully,
Professor Emeritus Yaw Amoateng, PhD.
(Akyempemhene of the Krontire Family of Chiraa).

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