WAKE UP, GA DANGBE CHIEFS!

I have never understood the mindset of the traditional rulers of the Ga Dangbe people. It is simply beyond belief, that traditional rulers, whose people occupy the most expensive bit of land in all of our homeland Ghana, are rather busy fighting amongst themselves about who has the right to occupy one position or the other - when they should be thinking outside the box to realise value from government lands which rightly should be reverting to them today: but is being hijacked by greedy outsiders, who are also contemptuous of them. Is it not simply incredible, dear reader, that their traditional state should be in such disarray - when one thinks of the influence they could wield? Is this not the capital city of Ghana?

Are all the foreign diplomats accredited to Nkrumah's Ghana not resident here? Yet, how many of them come to pay their respects to them? Have they ever thought of asking all the foreign firms that have made vast fortunes over the years and have their local head offices in Accra and Tema (such as Taysec,Ghacem and sundry Chinese construction firms, profiting mightily here now), to come together to undertake a joint-project to build suitable residences, as well as traditional crafts workshops, and a museum, in East Legon, Ridge or Cantonments (taking over some of the valuable land with expired leases, which the masters of the universe in charge of our homeland Ghana, are busy selling to their nearest and dearest friends and family), as their joint gift to the Ga Dangbe people?

Has it not dawned on the traditional rulers of the Ga Dangbes that society is dynamic - and that a new and powerful Ga Dangbe State can be fashioned out of what currently is but a pale shadow of a once-powerful kingdom? Oh, how King Tackie Tawia1 must be turning in his grave! If they were to devote half their energies to thinking creatively, they could become the kings of Ghana's capital markets: by setting up a mutual fund into which every single entity dealing in our capital markets would have to contribute - as a modern-day form of the "tribute" paid to traditional rulers in the past. Why do they think sundry corporate Titans in Ghana, travel all the way to certain parts of our homeland Ghana, to donate money to the non-transparent funds, set up by their peers elsewhere? Is it not a modern form of "tribute" they are paying?

And when the outsiders who are so contemptuous of them direct foreign dignitaries to go and pay "tribute" to their favourite traditional rulers, do they not know it is a deliberate policy to use the machinery of state to increase the power and influence of those favourite traditional rulers of theirs? Did any one consult any of them when the government that is playing with them as if they were primary school children, was in discussion with super wealthy foreigners about a new future for that very valuable parcel of land known as the trade fair site - which they ceded to Nkrumah on the understanding that the Ghanaian nation-state, not foreigners, would use it as a trade fair site?

Let the the traditional rulers of the Ga Dangbe state continue quarrelling amongst themselves over who should occupy positions in parts of Ga Dangbe, whiles the super greedy oligarchs now controlling Ghana, make it possible for foreigners (who no doubt, like the past owners of Scancem, most certainly know a thing or two, about how to make sure that some of Ghana's choicest assets, fall into their hands too!), to eventually end up building luxury hotels, shopping malls and posh homes there: and pretend it is a new and modern trade fair site. And whiles our greedy rulers and their foreign cronies grow even richer, the Ga Dangbe people will continue to grow poorer still.

Why, when God created humankind, did he create a special breed of human beings called Kings or Queens? Was it not the most brutal individuals willing to fight to take territory - even if it meant killing scores of their fellow humans, who ended up ruling their fellow human beings, as Kings and Queens? So what is the point of quarrelling over titles - whiles greedy outsiders are busy using legal technicalities to steal what is rightly and justly the property of the traditional rulers and people of the Ga Dangbe state? Do they not see what is going on elsewhere - where their peers disregard the law, even as the machinery of state is manipulated, to enable them further their overweening ambitions?

Let the Ga Dangbe traditional rulers wake up - and if they want to fight court battles, let them sue the crafty regime that has taken over their lands at "cable and wireless" - and is now about to hand over those valuable lands to their speculating cronies for a song, to sell to make super profits! Do they not know that whiles the unbelievable nonsense on stilts, which the various court cases represent, about who should be "Nii-this" or "Nii-that" goes on, clever traditional rulers elsewhere, have illegally taken over land owned by the state - and are busy selling those lands right in front of the noses of officials of the Lands Commission, whiles our rulers look on benignly, because they feel their favourite traditional rulers, are above the laws of Nkrumah's Ghana: and are consequently getting away with the blatant illegality, with impunity?

And if, dear reader, the Ga Dangbe traditional rulers ask what right a complete nonentity like Kofi Thompson has to speak his mind about matters concerning the affairs of the traditional state of the Ga Dangbe people, well, first of all, I happen to be a Ghanaian - and although it is not of the slightest significance to me, my paternal grandmother was a Bruce and a Sempe royal - so although I am Paul Kofi Asare from Adukrom, I too (like the politicians who are playing with them as if they were primary school children), have a right to poke my nose, into their affairs! Period. May God bless and protect our homeland Ghana always. Long live Ghana! Long live freedom! Kofi Thompson can be reached by email at: peakofithompson@yahoo.co.uk and by SMS text message on:(027) 745 3109.