‘SCRAP DISTRICT ASSEMBLY’

The Omanhene of Assin Apimanim, Barima Kwame Nkyi XII, in the Assin Manso Traditional Area of the Central region, has urged the Constitutional Review Committee to ensure that the District Assembly concept is scrapped from the 1992 Constitution.

The Assin Apimanim Omanhene made this call in a four-page article titled: ‘Towards the constitutional review process: Clarion call to chiefs and good people of Ghana.’

He however stresses the need “to replace the district assemblies with Traditional Councils” as it existed in
the past.

“The traditional council must be reinstated as soon as possible to revive the chieftaincy system as it is an open secret that the chieftaincy institution is now in coma,” he lamented.

The existence of the traditional council in the past, he recounted, embolden chiefs to assume the position of
District Chief Executives (DCEs) to steer affairs in their areas of jurisdiction “which promoted peace and development.”

He went on to say that that system (traditional council) also “avoided conflict of interest where Members of Parliament (MPs) who belong to a different party and DCEs also from a different party battle with the development of their districts because of their diverse political interest.”

According to him, the chieftaincy institution is a stablising and unifying factor which brings “real development” to the good people of this country.

“The chiefs of the past years, especially during the colonial rule- proved their mettle as leaders of their states and indeed most of them were knighted with titles such as CBE or OBE (Order of the British Empire) by the colonialists,” he said.

He noted that the excellent delivery and performance of traditional rulers in local government of previous years convinced the framers of the 1992 Constitution to observe at page 156 the significance of the chieftaincy institution.

Though traditional rulers ensure stability and unity, Omanhene Barima Nkyi regretted that the hitherto “unique, moral, spiritual and social standing of the chief have not been matched by comparable status in the modern political system of Ghana.”

The chief of today, he said, “has no formal adjudicating rule; has little formal linkage within central government and is minimally involved in the local government system.”

To this end, he suggested that the membership of the traditional council must consist of members of the presently constituted traditional councils.

Disclosing in his article, he said these should include paramount chiefs, divisional chiefs and sub-divisional chiefs and queens of paramount chiefs and divisional chiefs.

“It must also consist of co-opted members from the traditional area (not more than 10) so co-opted by the traditional council and the Member of Parliament for the area or district,” he said.

The paramount chief, he argues, must be made to preside over meetings and where there are more than one paramount chief “the “chair” must rotate yearly and the duration must be one.”

Barima Nkyi further elaborates that chieftaincy constitutes a major resource that could be officially tapped in reinforcing the modern governmental structure.

He called on members of the commission to also ensure that chiefs are actively involved in the local government system, adding that “adequate resources are made available from stool lands revenues to enable
chiefs to play their legitimate role as leaders and catalyst in the development process.”

“The country can now save or stipend other allowances of the DCEs, the pick-up and saloon cars, free cook, watchman and garden boy etc., and make the chief the ultimate president at the district assemblies since they are not supposed to be partisan for rapid development at the local level,” noted Barima Nkyi.

The reinstatement of the traditional council, he argues in the article, will prevent incidents such as confusions between MPs and DCEs who operate along different political parties

“The country could make tremendous savings from local council election which flopped recently and the common fund will be solely used for development programmes and here no ex-gratia or whatever golden handshake will pass hands,” the article stated.

… I am therefore suggesting that the Constitution Review Commission take note of my submissions and I am very confident that if Ghanaians have to vote on its adoption, the changes will not only spell peace but will also accelerate development in every town and village.”