Mills angry with DCEs

…for disrespecting chiefs
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Posted: The Chronicle Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The President, His Excellency J. E. A. Mills, has expressed concern over the way some of the district chief executives (DCEs) have been treating chiefs in the country. “I am aware that in certain cases, DCEs have very little respect for traditional authorities, and yet at the time of campaign, these are the very people who lead us to the traditional authorities,” he noted, and has therefore cautioned DCEs to accord chiefs and the chieftaincy institution, the needed respect they deserve.
Professor Mills, who was speaking at the Osu Castle yesterday, when the Standing Committee of the National House of Chiefs called on him, promised to consult the traditional authorities in appointing thirty per cent of people to the District Assemblies, stressing, “rest assured Nananom, that we will do so in full consultation with you.”
President Mills also noted that nobody could dispute the fact that the chieftaincy institution constituted the very foundation of the Ghanaian society.
This, he said, was evident in the fact that chiefs and politicians have one thing in common, seeking to enhance the welfare of the people.
He, therefore, stressed on the need for stronger collaboration between the two institutions, to develop the nation.
Whilst appreciating the concerns and suggestions raised by the chiefs, Professor Mills noted that he would look at the issues with all seriousness, since according to him, when the chieftaincy institution is strengthened, it would benefit the people.
He, therefore, charged Ghanaians to respect their traditional rulers, stressing “they are the embodiment of the soul of our people, and I’m going to insist that when it comes to the appointment of DCEs, very detailed consultations will have to be held with the traditional authorities.
“Nobody is a repository of wisdom or of knowledge, and therefore, we will be knocking at your doors when it becomes necessary, so that we build a better Ghana for our people.”
On their part, the National House of Chiefs asked to be given the needed recognition and support, to enable them carry out their constitutionally mandated duties.
The President of the House, who also doubles as Wulungunaba, Naa Professor John Nabila, indicated that merely guaranteeing chieftaincy and its traditional authorities, as provided for in Article 270 (1) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic, without providing what it takes to run the institution, does not serve any purpose.
The House of Chiefs therefore appealed to President Mills and his government, to take a critical look at this unfortunate development.
“It is a well-established fact that the budgetary allocation for the institution, is woefully inadequate, and does not permit Nananom, Traditional Councils, Regional Houses, National House of Chiefs to perform creditably, all the constitutional responsibilities assigned to us in the 1992 Constitution,” he emphasised.
As a first step to ensuring this, the Chiefs have asked for the codification of the lines of succession of chiefs, as required by the Constitution, to help minimise the numerous chieftaincy disputes, which have not been resolved because of lack of adequate funding.
The chiefs noted that the various judicial committees of Traditional, Regional and National House of Chiefs, which could have also reduced chieftaincy disputes, are not functioning well, because they did not have counsels.
Considering the role they play in the decentralisation process, the chiefs appealed to the government to critically examine the system of local government, to remove the current minimum representation of chiefs, stressing that “it should also aim at minimising the incessant, unnecessary conflicts between District and Municipal administrators, and traditional authorities.”
The 2005 country report, and programme of action of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) on Ghana, is emphatic in recognition of the role of traditional authorities, particularly in relation to the performance of the country’s decentralised administrative system.
The APRM report demands that “chiefs must remain active participants in, and constructive contributors to the process of decentralisation, democratisation and sustainable development.”
Meanwhile, the new Chieftaincy Act 2008, Act 795, which is in consonance with the 1992 Constitution, has been passed by Parliament, and replaces the old Chieftaincy Act 1971, Act 370.
Article 30 of the new Act, also guarantees the power of chiefs to be arbiters in customary arbitrations in any dispute, where the parties involved consent to the arbitration process.
As a matter of urgency, the National House of Chiefs has appealed to the government, the Attorney-General and the Chief Justice to strengthen this old arm of traditional judicial administration, with the belief that the formal or legally recognised use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the country’s traditional courts, will help to promote the tenets of the rule law.
In this light, the President the House of Chiefs, Naa Professor John Nabila, said they were in the process of preparing a comprehensive strategic plan, to elaborate its vision for, what he described as effective and cooperative governance, to consolidate the country’s democracy and its ancestral heritage.
The House of Chiefs took the opportunity to congratulate the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), in the just-ended elections, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for gracefully accepting the election results in good faith, whilst commending former President Kufuor for facilitating a smooth transition to the present government.