Friday, December 10, 2010

VALUE SYSTEMS OF RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY ...Otumfuo urges Ghanaians (PAGE 12, DEC 8, 2010)

THE Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has enjoined Ghanaians to return to their rich value systems by rejecting political intolerance, intemperate language, disrespect for authority and divisiveness.
He said the emergence of the phenomena of serial callers and foot soldiers in the country’s body politics was not doing the nation any good and blamed politicians for that trend.
The Asantehene, who was speaking at a durbar he organised in honour of awardees of the 2010 Millennium Excellence Awards at the forecourt of the Manhyia Palace, last Monday, challenged politicians to have the welfare of the youth at heart instead of using them to achieve power only to neglect them.
He explained that the seeming lack of sustainable programmes to address the problems of the youth had compelled them to do everything necessary to make ends meet.
He said it was disturbing to see young people who should have been engaged in productive activities creating fear and panic in the country under the banner of foot soldiers and serial callers, a phenomenon that he said was perhaps known to only Ghana.
He described, as worrying, people's negative understanding and practice of politics and said that had become the greatest threat to the fabric of the society.
"Politics has become the shortest route to riches and patronage and people will do whatever is necessary to get there. It is a win and lord it over the people (issue) but not to change the destiny of the people."
Otumfuo Osei Tutu said the development was a disincentive to national development and must be checked before it plunged the country into crisis.
The Asantehene, who is the life patron of the Millennium Excellence Awards, said sometimes it appeared politics was taking the nation towards the wrong path.
He descended heavily on people who saw politics as the shortest route to riches rather than an avenue to serve their country.
He said many people were entering politics in the country because they found it a lucrative venture, especially when one’s political party was in power.
The Asantehene indicated that in their quest to make money from politics, politicians would do everything possible to win power.
He observed that greed, avarice and nepotism were eroding the achievements Ghana had made as a country.
He also expressed deep concern about the way politics was polarising the country, stressing that Ghana needed to learn from other countries where in spite of political differences, unity amongst the people remained the key word.
Commending the award winners for their tremendous achievements in their fields of endeavour, he said many of them made it outside politics and theirs must be an example for the youth of the country.
He noted that the gradual destruction of the value system had resulted in young people publicly insulting the elderly.
“We are losing our values fast. Our family system is being eroded and now respect for the elderly is out of our vocabulary,” he said.
The Asantehene referred to the recent burning of an old woman to death, by some people on suspicion that she was a witch and said: “If our value system was to be working, the perpetrators wouldn’t have taken that line.”
He called for the revival of the spirit of volunteerism, saying it was one sure way of bringing development to the communities.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu stated that Africa had hardworking sons and daughters who could be relied on to help change the development face of the continent.
He commended the awardees for demonstrating that Africa had something good to offer.
Africa, he said, must set its sight very high because it would be suicidal to always play second fiddle to the rest of the world.

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