The issues from Dormaa
The tongue seems to lie at the centre of the problem that has cropped up at Dormaa Ahenkro where the Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, is alleged to have banished the general manager of the Presbyterian Hospital at Dormaa Ahenkro.
Advertisement
It is instructive to note that the Omanhene of the Dormaa Traditional Area in the Brong Ahafo Region is a justice of the high court of Ghana, the court with the mandate to provide redress to the concerns and interests of any individual who is of the feeling that his/her fundamental human rights are being trampled upon or abused. Therefore, Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu is better informed about the human rights of Ghanaians within his traditional area, whether subjects or strangers.
That is why he cannot keep quiet in the face of reports that he has pronounced a ban on the general manager and had purportedly dissolved the board of directors of the hospital and reconstituted it, although the hospital is not a property of the traditional council.
Under the 1992 Constitution, particularly Article 33(5), it is provided that “ the rights, duties, declarations and guarantees relating to the fundamental human rights and freedoms specifically mentioned in this chapter shall not be regarded as excluding others not specifically mentioned which are considered to be inherent in a democracy and intended to secure the freedom and dignity of man.”
If indeed at a formal sitting of the Dormaa Traditional Council, oseadeeyo gave any edict that the general manager must leave the area or have himself to blame, then it is a worrying development, particularly so because his crime has not been disclosed. It is only when the public is informed about the basis of the edict that there could be any meaningful discussion on the justification or otherwise of the decision of the traditional council.
As it is, the reports going round do not present the traditional council in any positive light and undermines the position of Oseadeeyo personally as a justice of the high court. For example, a legitimate question that some are asking is how could the Omanhene have purportedly dissolved the board of directors of the hospital and reconstituted it without recourse to the owners of the facility, the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. The reports may be uninformed but for as long as they have not been refuted, they stick with the people.
There is also the need for the traditional council and oseadeeyo to openly respond to the allegations that the general manager has been shown where power lies because of his attempt to protect the interest of the hospital against that of the traditional council. Thus, if indeed the crime of Mr Fred Effah-Yeboah is his desire to work conscientiously for his employers, then the Presbyterian Church of Ghana must equally open up to the public and provide information as to what might have brought their employee the displeasure of the Dormaa Traditional Council chaired by Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu, who must be seen to be living the law in all his actions, whether in the court or as a traditional leader.
Again, it is imperative for the Ghana Police Service to open up to the public as to whether or not indeed a complaint to the Dormaa police was not attended to and the victim was asked to leave the area in his own interest or that his safety could not be guaranteed.
Information from all these sources is critical for the dispassionate analysis of the development which touches the core of the guaranteed fundamental rights of Ghanaians. At the heart of the problem is Article 14(1) to the effect that “ every person shall be entitled to his personal liberty and no person shall be deprived of his personal liberty, except in the following cases and in accordance with procedure permitted by law.”
President Paul Biya of Cameroon once noted that “rumours come from below and the truth from above”. Therefore, if we do not want rumours to fester and hold us to ransom in the case of the purported banishment of Mr Effah-Yeboah by the Dormaa Traditional Council headed by Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu, then the council, the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and the Ghana Police Service owe us information that will enable us engage in functional discourse and debate over the propriety or otherwise of the things we are hearing.
In the meantime, it must be stated that no traditional council has the power to ostracise even a murderer without recourse to the law as established under the 1992 Constitution.
Whatever the reasons for the order against the general manager of the Dormaa Presby Hospital, we must know that Ghana is a constitutional democracy and not a feudal system.
