The Asantehene Otumfuor Osei Tutu II, has once again generated a lot of discussion on social and mainstream media after he publicly queried the Minister for Energy, his own grandson, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh as to the reason for the erratic power situation in the Ashanti Region.
This is the second time this year that the revered Traditional Ruler has sparked national debate after he castigated government officials for attempting to ‘gag’ him when he delivered a speech at an event against Galamsey.
The Asantehene, yesterday, hosted a delegation of Technocrats and engineers from the Energy sector, led by the sector minister himself, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh at the Manhyia Palace.
According to the Asantehene, in his remarks, the visit was a response by the Minister to a query he (Asantehene) had sent him as to why power supply had been erratic in the Ashanti Region.
Apparently, the Minister brought the team of experts to the region to observe the situation for themselves and come up with a proper solution.
In his remarks, the Asante Monarch revealed that the recent power situation has destroyed all his electronic gadgets and appliances and therefore he sent someone to find out from the Minister the actual reason for the situation.
To anti-government elements, the Asantehene’s remarks signifies the fact that this country is falling apart.
To persons like US-based Ghanaian Journalist, Kevin Taylor, the Asantehene is being too diplomatic and should criticize the President and his government directly (perhaps like a serial caller)
To others, the President must speak to the Asantehene in the same “disrespectful” manner he spoke to Chief of Aflao, Togbe Fiti, a few months ago after he had expressed frustration at government’s inability to complete an E-block in his Area.
It appears that to such persons who expect government to be criticized daily, the Asantehene should behave just like a serial caller, always finding a way to lambast government at any given opportunity.
The Asantehene has been on the throne since 26th April 1999 and has seen the tenure of 5 Presidents: Rawlings, Kuffuor, Mills, Mahama and Akufo-Addo. Never once has the Asante Monarch being seen or heard publicly chastizing any sitting President and yet all of a sudden, people expect the King to just sit before cameras and dish out insults and instructions to the sitting President because to them, he is failing or has failed.
Infact, it is instructive to note that in the Asantehene’s remarks at Manhyia yesterday, he categorically stated that he sent someone to inform the Minister (his own grandson) to find out why power supply has suddenly become erratic.
Now, for those who may not know, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh is a member of the Asante Royal Family and hails from the prominent Apagyafie. He is therefore considered to be a direct relative of the Asantehene and yet the King chose to send an emissary to find out from him directly the reasons for the erratic power situation instead of sitting at Manhyia and issuing instructions and orders directly to his own grandson.
That sums up exactly how diplomatic the Asantehene is. The King has always preferred to deal with his issues with politicians behind closed doors in order to prevent persons with diabolic agenda from twisting his words and bringing him and his Kingdom into disrepute.
So the next time people call on the Asantehene to castigate the government, maybe they should be generous enough to mention what exactly they expect him to say.
Source: GhanaFeed.Com
