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Chairperson of Star Ghana Foundation, Dr Esther Ofei Aboagye, has charged traditional leaders in Ghana to take on the responsibility of ensuring that political leaders are serving their people well.
According to Dr Esther Ofei Aboagye, citizens need non-partisan reliable representation to make their needs and concerns heard to political office holders and traditional authorities are best positioned for the task.
She said chiefs for instance, don’t always have to wait for politicians to call on them but rather summon them (politicians) to render accounts of their works to the people.
“You provide a channel for representing the needs and interest of your people. We want you to put these issues across without fear or favour. Sometimes Nananom undermine themselves by undervaluing the power that they have, the social capital that they have, the moral suasion that they have and move to one side or another or take on a certain posture on which political authorities are beholding to state.”
In an interview with Rev Dr Kwabena Opuni Frimpong on GTV’s ‘What is Next?’, Dr Aboagye stressed that chiefs can demand accountability from politicians because they are the custodians of the lands on which the politicians are serving.
“You can summon them, you can ask them to come and report to you, to come and share with you, what they intend to do to your people… please don’t be taken for granted.
“They are on your land, they are managing your people, they are supposed to be working in the interest of your people. You have the mobilizing power, you can do more, you can represent your people,” she added.
Dr Esther Ofei Aboagye added that as politicians make numerous promises to citizens, especially in election periods, questioning how these promises will be operationalized will put politicians on their toes.
“If we ask that question ‘how’ more often, maybe politicians will be compelled to think through the process. But very often we find that people are not ready, they don’t have an answer, they don’t have a process ready to operationalize the promises that they’ve made.”
