March 11, 2016

 Ethnicity, tribalism, nepotism and cronyism: President Mills’ headache
Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot

The recent appointments made by the President of Ghana, H.E John Evans Atta Mills,to the various public offices across the length and breadth of the country have made some Ghanaians to think that the President is towing the ethnic, tribal, nepotism and cronyism lines.

It has been reported in the Ghanaian media that the President appointed his own brother, Dr. Cadman Atta Mills and other cronies including the controversial Chief of the Asogli State, in the Volta region, Togbe Afede XIV, to the country’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC) to advise the president on key economic policy issues and policy options in managing the impact of the current global and domestic economic challenges, and maximizing the full potential of existing opportunities.

Other reports also have said that most chiefs and people in some districts are feverishly kicking against Presidential nominees for the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executive position because these nominees do not hail from the area.

Recently, the paramount chief of the Atebubu in the Brong Ahafo Region, Nana Owusu Acheaw Brempong threatened to cause mayhem and bloodshed in his traditional area if the Atebubu-Amanten District assembly endorses Sanja Ninja as the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area. His concern was that he and his people wanted an indigene as their DCE.

Though the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Kwadwo Addae Marfo defied the threat to conduct the election of the DCE under tight security, Mr. Ninja failed to get the require votes to confirm his position.

As the President ponders over the next step to take to resolve the issue, a number of Ghanaians who spoke to Ghanadot suggested appointing regional ministers and district chief executives from outside the regions and districts they come from, as was done by the Ex-President Rawlings’ regime sometime ago.

According to them, the president should not be amazed about the protests and reactions to his appointments, because Ghana is a multi-ethnic country where tribal sentiments could be easily exploited.

Despite the education being made by politicians and civil society organizations to uproot ethnicity, the canker seems to run deep into the fabric of the society.

To make matters worse, students from the various ethnic and tribal groups in the country have formed tribal associations on our university campuses and other high places of learning.

One of the professors from the University of Cape Coast, about two years ago, went public and warned that if nothing was done to stop this development, it could have serious repercussions in the forward march of the country.

A legal practitioner, David Ofosu-Dorte further warned that the appointing of ministers of state, regional ministers, metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives as well as other public officials based on ethnicity, tribalism and other considerations is inimical to the development efforts of the country.

He added that appointing people to serve in their areas of origin would polarize the country and prevent Ghanaians from uniting in the attainment of a common vision.

On appointment of ministers and DCEs based on tribal and ethnic affiliations Mr. Ofosu-Dorte pointed out that the Komkomba-Nanumba conflict in the early 1990s took the useful input of Mr. Joshua Alarbi, who was the Northern Regional Minister at the time and not an indigene of the area, to restore some calm, while the role of Mr. Ernest Debrah, a former Northern Regional Minister, was significant in the Abudu-Andani conflict in 2000s.

These examples, he emphasized, showed that Ghanaians could take the right decisions for the right results however, they usually did not.

Political Analysts say that ethnicity, tribalism, nepotism and cronyism are or were the cause of many wars in the world, especially in the third world countries in which Ghana is a member, therefore our government must act quickly to nip this canker in the bud.

Ghanadot