Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Folks, the
controversy surrounding the status of Robert Nachinab Doameng Mosore, NPP MP
for Talensi, seems to be coming to an end with his choice to be a Paramount
Chief of Talensi and not a politician (MP). (See http://www.myjoyonline.com/…/it-is-nobler-to-be-chief-than-…)
The 1992
Constitution is clear on why a traditional ruler shouldn't be involved in
partisan politics and why some chiefs seeking to be politicians have quickly
relinquished their chiefly status to engage in partisan politics for weal or
woe.
Even though the
late Dr. Hilla Limann of Gwolu was our President in the Third Republic, we
didn't bat our eyelids when he doubled as a chief and a politician before being
kicked out of office in the Rawlings-led putsch. Many others in the PNDC era
come to mind: Nana Akuoko Sarpong of Asante Agogo; Nana Obuadom (Mr. E.G.
Tandoh); former Nandom Naa Konku Polku Chiiri; and many others actively
participated in politics for good or bad.
The 1992
Constitution draws the line between what a chief/queenmother should be in terms
of partisan politics and his/her status as a traditional ruler. The records
have the late Paul Nkensen Arkaah, Nenyi of an area in the Winneba Traditional
Area, relinquishing his chiefly status to do active politics, becoming the Vice
President of Ghana. When he lost favour in politics, he regained it in
chieftaincy.
The former CEO
of the National Sports Council (Alhaji Nurudeen Jawula) did same but lost the
game. Miscalculations can be disastrous in the turbulent waters of Ghanaian
politics.
Some
chiefs/queenmothers have done their best to outwit the system, doing partisan
politics all over the place but being cunning not to vie for political office.
They are known for showing their political colours yet denying everything on
that score.
This dichotomy
of partisan politics and chieftaincy leaves one wondering whether being a
"professional" politician or a chief/queenmother means anything noble
at all. Just as politicians attract uncomplimentary public comments so do the
chiefs/queenmothers too. Records show how unscrupulous some chiefs/queenmothers
can be; and some of our politicians have turned out to be criminals. What makes
the difference is difficult to determine. The chieftaincy institution in our
time is riddled with impropriety; and politics in Ghana is muddy because of the
shadiness surrounding it. So, who determines what is noble about either?
Of course, we
know that in the strict conceptualization and practices of chieftaincy in
Ghana, the chief is regarded as an embodiment of everything—political,
economic, spiritual, moral, social, cultural, ideological—everything that
constitutes, shapes and shaves the identity of the people represented by that
chiefly authority. In that sense, then, it is difficult to separate the
chief/queenmother as a traditional ruler from anything with a political tinge.
The chief is already a politician-in-disguise and no one should be fooled that
they are not.
The introduction
of western-style political administration may have endangered the Ghanaian
chieftaincy institution and whittled away the powers of the
chiefs/queenmothers; but the truth is that the institution is still heavily
invested with politics. That is why all the politicians seek the favour of traditional
rulers to remain in contention. Who can, then, say that the chiefs/queenmothers
don't matter when it comes to partisan politics?
Whether they
personally indulge in politics or use their ventriloquists in many fields of
human endeavour (pastors, teachers, herbalists, etc.), their influence is felt.
No one in his/her proper frame of mind can under-rate the influence of the
traditional rulers and hope to make it in Ghanaian politics. Do the politicians
not owe allegiance to their respective chiefs in their hometowns? In effect,
then, the chiefs/queenmothers are difficult to take down in partisan politics.
Their influence is everywhere
But to the main
issue now: Is it more beneficial to the traditional ruler to abstain from
politics or to shed off the traditional ruler coat and become a professional
politician? What can a chief do alone without recourse to the MP for his area?
Can a chief make the desired impact without falling back on the politicians in
a symbiotic relationship of sorts? Why isn't chieftaincy mixing with partisan
politics? Do we have an oil-and-water paradox here to untangle?
The case of
Robert Nachinab Doameng Mosore, NPP MP for Talensi (who is now relishing his
new status as the Paramount Chief of Talensi) brings to sharp focus the
implications of the dichotomy. He is saying that it is nobler to be a chief
than a politician. What has he seen, felt, or heard to make him think this way?
Is he confirming long-held negative opinions that Ghanaian politics is full of
nonsense? Why now? I wonder, especially because of the controversy surrounding
this MP’s about-turn.
When the NDC
Majority side in Parliament questioned happenings regarding his metamorphosis
from a politician to a traditional ruler and asked that he be removed from
Parliament, the NPP Minority cried wolf. It has taken him a long time to come
to this decision to leave Parliament and his seat has been declared vacant.
Of course, in
our Fourth Republic, politics has become a never-ending series of mudslinging;
and our Legislature has particularly drawn attention to itself as a weak link
in the chain of democracy. Records show the sordid things done by MPs and the
uselessness of Parliament itself in helping solve pertinent problems. Yet, many
are abandoning their chosen careers to do politics!!
Should we agree
with the Talensi chief that being a paramount chief is nobler than being a
politician in Ghana? What is that NOBILITY at all? Folks, here is an MP turning
round to cast such a huge slur on Ghanaian politicians. His swipe at Parliament
itself is gripping. But over all, what can a chief and a politician do to
improve living standards of the people? After all, the essence of leadership—be
it in the sense of a chief or a politician—is to use the resources of the land
for the good of the people. As the situation is now, neither the chief nor the
politician can claim to have succeeded. So, wherein lies nobility? Enough food
for thought already?
I shall return…
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E-mail: mjbokor@yahoo.com
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