Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, has questioned the exemption of chiefs from politics stating that Ghana’s governance must change to enable traditional leaders hold positions in the legislature.
He said, “Our current Constitution is wrong to say that chiefs should not participate in active politics. Chiefs lead communities to develop and politics is also about development. If we say they can’t do the politics, who else can do it?”
He said this at the Gmantambo Palace at Bimbilla when he paid a courtesy call on Nyelinbulgu-Naa Yakubu Andani Dasana, Regent of Bimbilla.
His visit was to convey appreciation for the Regent’s contribution to maintaining peace and seek support for governance as Parliament commemorated 30 years of democratic governance.
Mr Bagbin said traditional leaders were the anchor of the country’s democracy, saying “True leaders of the country are not politicians, they are our traditional leaders.”
He mentioned that governments in countries like Senegal and Botswana would have collapsed had it not been for the presence of elders in their Parliaments.
He said this should be emulated in Ghana to ensure decorum in Parliament and governance, given that traditional leaders were known for discipline and commanded respect.
