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Nana Twumasi Dankwa, Acting President of the New Juaben Traditional Council
Nana Twumasi Dankwa, Acting President of the New Juaben Traditional Council

Protest 'against attempt to exclude New Juaben from Eastern Regional House of Chiefs" gets support

The New Juaben Traditional Council has declared its "full and unflinching" support to the protest initiated by the Omanhene and President of the Council, Daasebre Prof. (Emeritus) Oti Boateng on the composition of the re-structured Eastern Regional House of Chiefs (ERHC).

Daasebre Oti Boateng has written to the President of the National House of Chiefs about what he terms as a "bizarre attempt to exclude the New Juaben Traditional Area from the re-structured Eastern Regional House of Chiefs (ERHC)."

In the protest letter copied to the Chief Justice, Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, Attorney General and Nana Somuah Mireku Nyampong III, a member of the Council of State representing the Eastern Region, Daasebre Oti Boateng argued that there was a "capricious determination and selection of Divisional Chiefs, amongst various paramountcies."

"It has become necessary as one of the Paramount Chiefs of the ERHC to speak on this new proposal initiated by the President of the ERHC without due consultation in order to preserve the hierarchical structure of the Chieftaincy institution," the protest letter stated.

Related article: Daasebre Oti Boateng raises concerns with composition of reconstituted Eastern Reg. House of Chiefs

Emergency meeting

At an emergency meeting of the New Juaben Traditional Council held at the Omanhene's Palace at Koforidua on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, the Council declared its full and unflinching support to the letter of protestation written by Daasebre Prof. (Emeritus) Oti Boateng.

A press release signed and issued by Nana Twumasi Dankwa, Acting President of the Council said the office of the President of the Regional House of Chiefs is a public office governed by law and subject to public scrutiny.

"This is what Daasebre Oti Boateng has expertly done in the unjustifiable attempt to exclude this Traditional Area from the ERHC to which the Council wholeheartedly supports. The exercise of all Public Power must find its ultimate source in a legal rule," it said.

Daasebre Oti Boateng is arguing that the President of the ERHC truncated the normal process of building consensus in the House by failing to present such crucial issue to the whole House for debate before sending it to the National House of Chiefs.

"If this normal and pragmatic practice had been adopted, the New Juaben Traditional Council would have been informed to be represented through the Registry. The Traditional Council received no such invitation for the full House to meet on the issue thus giving credence to the allegation that the President of the ERHC bypassed the whole House in submitting the memorandum on the issue to the National House. The Traditional Council considers this lack of consultation to be the cruz of the whole matter which must be redressed." 

Below is a copy of the press release from the Traditional Council

In addition to the protest letter, Daasebre Oti Boateng has written to Parliament about the issues.

In a Compendium to the Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament, he stated what he said had gone on at the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs

Below is a copy of the Compendium.

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