Elmina chiefs clash with MCE

Chiefs in the Edina Traditional Area have given a one-week ultimatum to the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) District, Rev Mrs Veronica Essuman Nelson, to explain to the traditional council why she halted the launching of this year’s Bakatue Festival at Benya Lagoon side, near Elmina, in the Central Region.

According to the chiefs, Mrs Essuman Nelson without any prior notice issued a letter to order the Edina chiefs to put on ice the launching of this year’s Bakatue festival which was scheduled to have been performed at Benya Lagoon side.

The ultimatum was given at an emergency meeting in Elmina on Tuesday, 27 April, 2010 when the chiefs met to brainstorm on how best they could impress upon government to assist them find a way out of the impasse.

The Paramount Chief of the Edina Traditional Area, Nana Kodwo Conduah, who chaired the meeting, was emphatic that it was about time officialdom gave local authorities the needed respect and recognition accorded them in such matters.

The chiefs have subsequently demanded that Mrs Essuman Nelson without delay appear before the traditional council to explain why she issued the fiat to cancel the festival launch.

“We want Mrs Essuman Nelson (MCE) to come to this palace and explain to Ghanaians whether bombs or other explosives have been planted in the lagoon side for her to prevent us from going ahead to launch the festival,” Nana Kodwo Conduah furiously asserted, stressing that “perhaps the MCE is aware of something we in the traditional council do not know.’

He added… “MCEs may come and go but chiefs are there forever to ensure that traditions and customs of the land are preserved.”

The obviously irate chiefs further wondered why the MCE waited for a lot of resources to be spent on the event before notifying the traditional council about her decision, stressing that “we smell a rat”.

The chiefs hinted that if the MCE fails to convince them on why she took that unpopular decision, they will go ahead with the launching with or without police protection.

They observed that the Bakatue festival is one of the biggest festivals on the Ghanaian tourism calendar as it generates a lot of money for the Ghana Tourists Board.

The chiefs further bemoaned the spate at which MCEs and other government officials use their positions to undermine customs and traditions of local authority in the country, insisting that they will resist any attempt to belittle their status.

Against that background, the chiefs called on government to intervene in the matter before matters get to a head.