Now, discerning Kumawuman subjects all over the world have realised the need to join hands to fight to liberate their ancestral place of birth from the decades-old steady decline in infrastructural development. Come what may, they are resolute in their quest to save Kumawuman from the near-total infrastructural dilapidation; ongoing injustices and corruption in perpetuation by the traditional leaders that have exacerbated the already precarious socio-economic situation of the inhabitants and the locality.
Their action is upon the understanding that “if the back of your teeth is bitter, it is there that you lick” and “there is no place like home”. No matter where they currently live, either at home, abroad or elsewhere in Ghana, they have the inherent obligation to owe a duty to their ancestral place of birth hence rallying solidly behind the genuine cause of extricating Kumawuman and her subjects from the injustices being perpetrated and perpetuated by some myopic and selfish traditional leaders.
The natural resources of Kumawuman, and anything accruing from such resources, belong to the entire Kumawuman people. Therefore, the resources must be seen to serve the collective interests and needs of the subjects but not the satisfaction of just a section or a handful of people.
It is an open secret that Kumawuhemaa Nana Abenaa Serwaah Amponsah had confided in some friends, and still does believe, that the entire proceeds from the stool lands belong to her family and her. This is the reason why her brother, the late Barima Asumadu Sakyi II, Kumawuhene, squandered any money that came into the traditional coffers as well as selling/leasing Kumawu stool lands without accounting for them. He made himself unaccountable to anyone in the way he ruled Kumawuman and used its resources.
For how long will the subjects of Kumawuman sit back with arms folded around their chest doing nothing while a few shameless, insatiably greedy traditional leaders do whatever they like with the resources of Kumawuman to the utter detriment of the subjects?
For what Kumawuhemaa stands to gain as an individual person, she has colluded with Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and some equally Asanteman chiefs without integrity, to twist the history of Kumawuman. They have imposed one Dr Yaw Sarfo, a complete puppet, on Kumawuman as their Omanhene, same tricking the public into believing that Dr Yaw Sarfo is from the matrilineal lineage of Barima Tweneboa Kodua I, the originator of the Kumawu Kodua Stool.
They have seen some weakness in Dr Yaw Sarfo, a soft touch that they can easily manipulate like a puppet with strings attached to his limbs to dance to the tune and the pull on the strings by his masters. He will always do their bidding in their quest to exploit Kumawuman to the hilt for their selfish gains.
The injustice of Asantehene assigning wrong matrilineal birth-right to the Kumawu Ankaase “royal” family members in which Dr Yaw Sarfo belongs, all for the purpose of fraudulently availing himself of the lands and money of Kumawuman must be vehemently resisted. The fact that he is the “Overlord” of Asanteman does not in any way bequeath upon him the right, whether traditional or public, to twist the history of Kumawuman simply for the attainment of his parochial interests.
The Ankaase “royal” family members are NEITHER of matrilineal NOR patrilineal relationship to Barima Tweneboa Kodua I, the originator of the Kumawu Kodua Stool.
Never in the Ashanti history, or Kumawu history, has any Asantehene been invested with the powers to decide, let alone, impose someone on Kumawu as their Omanhene as contrarily seen to have happened at Kumasi Manhyia Palace on 24 February 2014. Never in the history of Kumawu has any royal contestant for the position of Kumawuhene-elect paid bribe and has been allowed to pursue their dream through to fruition. It has never happened. However, Kumawuhemaa Nana Abenaa Serwaah Amponsah, that insolent queen without comparison, paid bribe on behalf of her son or grandson Dr Yaw Sarfo in her unflinching, collusive attempts to get him elected Kumawuhene.
Her behaviour is frowned upon by Section 13 of Warrington Notes on Stool disputes, Sections 239 to 247 of Ghana Criminal Code 1960 (Act 29), resolution taken by Asante Confederacy chiefs and as expanded on pages 212 and 213 of Dr K. A. Busia’s book titled THE POSITION OF CHIEF IN THE MODERN POLITICAL SYSTEM OF ASHANTI”.
Additionally, the inability of Asantehene to exercise any powers on any of the Asanteman divisions (states) was confirmed by a document of Draft by the Ashanti Confederacy Council signed on 21st day of March 1938.
For peace to prevail, followed by essential developments, the rational subjects of Kumawuman have decided to ensure that the wrongs committed, and are still being committed, by the traditional leaders against Kumawuman must cease. They will do whatever it takes to stop the injustice against the good and law-abiding subjects of Kumawuman. They are not going to sit on the fence while crooks toy with their ancestral place of birth, underrate the intelligence of the subjects and rob them of their natural-resource means of livelihood.
It is only such welcome news that an association called “Kumawuman Subjects Living Home and Abroad” has risen to take up the mantle of soldiering that good cause of setting Kumawuman free from the hands of crooks who do not mean well for Kumawuman.
Let all believe in these encouraging and energising words, “Onward rational Kumawuman subjects, marching to liberate your ancestral place of birth, from the hands of criminals, to bring about justice, peace and infrastructural and human resource development to your area. With the help of God, coupled with your straight-forward thinking, we shall succeed”.
Anyone who does not want to see Kumawuman continue to deteriorate, with selfish crooks colluding to deny Kumawuman her proper place in history, is invited to join the force of movement for change initiated by some noble subjects of Kumawuman. The flame of change is burning brighter and brighter and it is of such intensity as to scare away the crooks.
Do you know why many Kumawuman subjects have identified themselves with the force to set Kumawuman captives free? The answer lies in the fact that they do not want to be seen in future as remaining timid when the occasion demanded otherwise – “In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his course succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot”——Mark Twain.
Their resolve is also strengthened by what Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia once said, “Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph”
Bravo to the brave subjects of Kumawuman.
Rockson Adofo