Kumawu Chiefs Scheming to Get Rid of their MP for not providing Essential Developments

Wonders will truly never cease! I was shocked with my mouth agape when I read on the Ghana online news portal on Wednesday, 28 August 2019, a publication headlined, “We have no confidence in you” – Kumawu chiefs to MP (Ghanaweb)”

The chiefs’ annoyance at, and their rejection of, and lack of confidence in, their Member of Parliament, Philip Basoah (Hon), according to the publication, is all about the lack of essential developments in the constituency. According to them, the MP has done practically nothing to ensure that Kumawu constituency, especially Kumawu, the headquarters of the constituency and the district, gets even a minimal, let alone, a fair share of the national cake. Subsequently, they have no further confidence in him to merit his contesting for the position of MP in any future general elections.

I am happy to learn that Kumawu chiefs are now awoken to the realities of Kumawu needing development and jobs for the people hence venting their anger and frustrations on the MP. However, let me point it out clearly and understandably to them that they are accusing the wrong person and also, their purported lack of confidence in him emanates from their deep-seated hatred towards him for reasons only best known to them but not for his inability to develop the constituency as they are claiming.

Yes, any MP that does not live up to the expectations for which his constituents voted him to represent them in parliament must not be given further chances to proceed to parliament. Nevertheless, do the

constituents understand the fundamental roles of a Member of Parliament (MP)? Before proceeding any further, I beg to cite below the duties and responsibilities of a Member of Parliament on quote- unquote.

1. "Legislative Role: A Member of Parliament's (MP's) major role is legislative; making laws for governance of our country. An MP participates in the discussion of a bill and suggests amendments to a Government bill. An MP’s role is to keep a check on executive overreach and ensure that the powers of delegated legislation are not abused by the government.

2. Supervisory Role: The MPs exercise control over the executive through Parliamentary interventions such as Calling Attention Motion, Adjournment Motion, No-confidence Motion, Censure Motion and other discussions. MPs also supervise the executive by participating in committees like Public accounts, estimates, Public undertakings and various other department-related standing and ad-hoc committees.

3. Power of the Purse: No tax can be levied and no expenditure incurred by the government except with the approval of the Parliament. The Budget is therefore presented to the Parliament. Parliamentary control over executive in matters of Finance is:

a) Budgetary control

b) Post-budgetary control (through financial committees –that some MPs are a part of)

4. Representative Responsibility: Every MP is the voice for his/her constituency. Every MP has to raise issues of his constituency in Parliament through questions, debates etc. An MP can also play a role in implementing projects in his/her constituency by following up on projects at the level of the District or at the Central government level."

The above roles of an MP are almost the same throughout the world with some additional responsibilities when it comes to other advanced democracies. In the UK, the MPs conduct surgeries on some days in a month where any constituent with a problem books an appointment with him/her to seek assistance and directions. This role of an MP is not seen to be practised in Ghana where the MPs rather choose to attend funerals.

From the above, the Kumawu MP can be held to account for failing to lobby for projects from the government for his constituency. Nonetheless, that is not his sole duty. The very persons to be held accountable for any dearth of essential developments in Kumawu are the District Chief Executives. They are allocated money for the development of their districts by the government. Therefore, the current District Chief Executive (DCE), Samuel Addai Agyekum (Hon), is more culpable for the non-development of Kumawu district than the MP, Philip Basoah (Hon).

Since the days of the late Krobo Adusei (Hon), under the regime of the First President of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, through Lawyer Abeyie (Hon) under Prime Minister Dr Busia, Basoah (Hon) under President J. J. Rawlings and President Kufuor, Yaw Baah (Hon) under President Kufuor to Philip Basoah (Hon) under President John Dramani Mahama and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, none of the MPs, apart from Krobo Adusei, has brought major development to Kumawu.

The first Mr Basoah (Hon) from Kumawu-Besoro brought Kumawu and some of her villages onto the national Akosombo electricity grid. He did this while he was in a higher position at the Volta River Authority (VRA). "The Volta River Authority (VRA) was established on April 26, 1961 under the Volta River Development Act, Act 46 of the Republic of Ghana, as a body corporate with the mandate to operate mainly as a power generation, transmission and distribution utility. Since year 2005, VRA's mandate has now been largely restricted to generation of electricity".

As it is not the basic responsibility of the MPs to bring developments to their constituencies but that of the DCEs, there is no wonder that the named Sekyere East and Kumawu MPs couldn't do much for their constituencies. However, this does not exonerate them from blame for their inability to help lobby for projects for their areas or to oversee that the DCEs did spend the money earmarked for the district to realise the very developmental projects for which the monies were given.

In the political history of Kumawu constituency, the DCEs often happen to be from the NDC while the MP is from NPP. In this scenario, they do not often see eye to eye. The DCEs often sabotage the MPs, keep them aloof from their undertakings. Now that we have both the MP and the DCE coming from the same NPP, the current DCE, Samuel Addai Agyekum, for reasons only best known to him, has excluded Philip Basoah from whatever he, the DCE, does.

I am very much aware of how some people from Kumawu have since year 2012 been undermining Philip Basoah. They have been doing, and have done, whatever they could, to create enmity between him and His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the President of Ghana. This is an indisputable fact! Those people know themselves. I once mentioned their names in one of my publications years ago.

The current DCE of Kumawu, Samuel Addai Agyekum, is not only a worse liar propagandist than any lying NDC member, but does not extend collaborating arm to the MP to help bring about development to Kumawu. He is constantly on air lying about Kumawu having achieved this or that essential development. I had on a number of occasions published articles warning Kumawu constituents about how the DCE is depriving them of getting their fair share of the national cake. He is the one to be blamed but not Philip Basoah, if indeed, there is anyone to be blamed if not the chiefs themselves.

Back to the Kumawu chiefs, I put it to them, and put it squarely on their door steps and their heads that they are to be blamed for the decrepit state of Kumawu constituency, if not the Kumawu township. Do they really want development in Kumawu? Are they not simply lending mischievous hand to those deliberately undermining the MP for their undisclosed selfish agenda?

If the chiefs wanted development for Kumawu constituency and district, why have they by their commissions and omissions allowed Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to impose a puppet on Kumawu as their paramount chief to facilitate his (Otumfuo's) exploitation of the stool lands and the wealth of Kumawuman? If they care to know how they have let go the wealth of Kumawuman into the hands of outsiders, they had better go and read some of my published feature articles on the Ghana internet news portals.

I shall blame the Kumawu sub-chiefs and the current liar DCE for the lack of essential developments in Kumawu constituency more than the MP.

Stay tuned for more info from the fearless son of the Kumawu/Asiampa soil.

With God, we are victorious.

Rockson Adofo

Saturday, 31 August 2019