ANLO NEEDS PEACE (NOVEMBER 3, 2007)

WE wish to register our utmost disgust over the bloody clashes that have characterised the Anlo chieftaincy dispute, which has elicited the concern of all Ghanaians.
The killings and beatings being visited on the people constitute not only a stain on the conscience of the people whose unrestrained pursuit of power has led to “the bloodbath at Anloga,” but are also a shame for the whole institution of chieftaincy in Ghana.
Even more disturbing is the knowledge that this is happening to the land and people of Togbui Adeladza II, one of the most revered chiefs of his time. Until his death in 1997, Togbui Adeladza enjoyed a long reign of peace, tranquillity and development and the annual Hogbetsotso festival of the chiefs and people of Anlo became a must-see for Ghanaians and tourists alike.
Considering the stature he earned in Ghanaian history and chieftaincy, it is regrettable that the process to find a suitable successor to the venerable Adeladza should be marred by the shedding of the blood of his own people. What a way to honour the memory of a man of peace!
Be that as it may, the Anlo tragedy is not one of those misfortunes that strike without notice. The signs of it happening began showing many years ago and loomed large a few days before it erupted last Thursday. It is difficult to understand why those signals, including media warnings, were not picked by the appropriate security and intelligence agencies for counter-measures to be taken.
Also difficult to understand is the insensitivity being displayed by those king makers who are bent on seeing the process through, no matter how bloody the path turns out to be. This must stop somewhere. What type of rulers would ‘love’ their people so much that they are willing to kill them in order to rule them?
Given the nature of the conflict and its demands on national security resources, the Daily Graphic is opposed to the view that matters of chieftaincy must be left to the exclusive whims of the ringleaders without any say from the state.
What is involved here is the lives of Ghanaians to whom the state owes the right to life and safety and on that basis, the state can intervene and say that enough is enough. However, the decision to restrain the leaders in Anlo from installing the new Awoamefia must have come as a welcome relief to peace-loving people of Anlo although this step could have been taken earlier to avoid the spilling of the blood of innocent people.