WHY OTUMFUO CAN NEVER BE A HEAD OF STATE!

There are many critics of his presidency, who insist that President Kufuor will go down in history, as the most tribalistic head of state, Ghana has ever had the misfortune, of electing into office. According to such Ghanaians, the miasma of Mr. Kufuor's tribalism, cronyism, and nepotism, has such a long footprint, too!

For example, not too long ago, a documentary was shown on the German public service broadcaster, DW-TV, about the current German president. A portion of it, showed the German president, leaving for a state visit to Ghana. The narrator of the documentary, then went on to say derisively, that the German president, had had to suffer the indignity, of having to go to pay a courtesy call, on the Asantehene, at Kumasi - and that it was beneath a German head of state to do so, in terms of protocol, and that Asante was a state within a state in Ghana, an absurdity, apparently akin to the existence in modern Germany of a sovereign Prussian Kingdom - a weird phenomenon, that could only happen in Africa, in the view of the narrator!

Sometimes, dear reader, one wonders what exactly is the agenda of Germany in Ghana? And who in Ghana's mission in Germany told DW- TV that Asante was a state within a state, in Ghana? And why was German Ambassador Linde constantly insisting that traditional authorities had an important role to play in Ghana - when his own native Germany, had got rid of its feudal ruling classes, many many years ago, in their march to progress?
Although many people do not want to hear it said, the fact of the matter, is that a traditional ruler, by definition, is a tribal supremacist - our equivalent, of the odious white supremacists of the Western world: who absurdly think they are superior, to all blacks.

And in the same vein, our tribal supremacist traditional rulers, also think that their tribe and its traditional ruling elites, are superior to all other tribes and their ruling elites, in Ghana. And you will find these narrow -minded and arrogant individuals, in every palace of the leading traditional rulers of all tribal groups in this country - from the northernmost part of the Ghanaian land mass, to the southernmost tip, and from the east to the west, of our dear nation. And each one of them is a ridiculous and anachronistic dinosaur. Period.

There are many Ghanaians who regard it as unfortunate in the extreme, that the current Asantehene, in marked contrast to his predecessor (who many feel will be judged by history as one of the greatest modern-day Aantehenes, ever) the lawyer Otumfuo Opoku-Ware 11, carries on apparently, as someone, who thinks he has come to revive the Asante Empire of old. Such people do not find that really surprising: as he was sponsored to his present position, by that most odious, of tribal supremacists, ever - the late Baffuor Akoto. He led one of the most violent and murderous political organisations in our history; the National Liberation Movement (NLM). His critics say that Baffuor Akoto's hands, were apparently dripping, with the blood of many innocent Ghanaians, who lost their lives in the series of bombings that he organised to try and murder Nkrumah, and end his attempt to transform Ghanaian society, and make it more egalitarian.

And this absurd nonsense on bamboo stilts, which the unrealistic dream of reviving a sovereign Asante kingdom represents, is being actively encouraged by some of those who now rule Ghana - yet it is pure treason! It is for this reason that so many Ghanaians are said to feel that Mr. Kufuor's shameful tribalism, poses a far greater threat to Ghana's stability, than any coup Rawlings will ever carry out again - for, Rawlings, does not seek to make any Eve traditional ruler, a power in our homeland Ghana. Indeed, the notorious Sargent Amedeka, once actually slapped a leading Eve traditional ruler - showing clearly, the utter contempt, which Rawlings and Co. had, for that feudal mambo jambo rubbish! And quite right too, if you ask me, dear reader!

There are many ordinary Ghanaians, who say they detest the current Asantehene and resent his megalomania - which is so irritatingly humoured at taxpayers' expense, by "that man President Kufuor"!
It is important, dear reader, in discussing the issue of tribalism in Ghana, that we seperate ordinary Ghanaians: Eves; Ga Dangbes; Asantes; Fantis; Gonjas; Dagombas; etc. etc., from today's successors, of the pre-colonial traditional fuedal ruling elites, of the various tribes in Ghana - for, ordinary Ghanaians from all our ethnic groups, are not tribalistic in the least.

And that is why in virtually every family in Ghana today, you will find many different tribes, united as one extended family, in it - tied and bonded together by blood ties and by marriage. And that is also why many ordinary people will tell you, dear reader, that myopic politicians, without any creative solutions to our many problems, such as Mr. Kufuour, who are in hock with power-hungry traditional rulers like the current Asantehene, must be put firmly in their place, by ordinary Ghanaians, in order to save our Republic of Ghana, from disintegrating! May God bless and protect our homeland Ghana always. Long live Ghana! Long live freedom! Kofi Thompson can be reached by email at: http://uk.f264.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=peakofithompson@yahoo.co.uk and by SMS text maessage at: (027) 745 3109