Otumfuo’s questionable destoolment of chiefs a blight on his 20-year rule – Prof Osei Kwarteng

A Historian, Prof Kwame Osei Kwarteng has said the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, autocratic rule especially in his settling of chieftaincy disputes in his kingdom has blighted his 20-year rule.

According to him, the Asantehene has since ascending the Golden Stool been very domineering and repressive destooling some chiefs in very questionable grounds.

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has asked chiefs in his kingdom to make a candid assessment of his stewardship as he marks 20 years on the Golden Stool.

He told an Asanteman Council meeting good feedback will serve as a guide for the future.

On April 26, 1999, Barima Kwaku Duah, then 49 years old, was enstooled the 16th Asantehene under the stool name Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. He was seen as the return of Otumfuo Osei Tutu I, founder of modern Asante State.

His coronation saw the establishment of Otumfuo Educational Fund to support, especially, the less privileged which was one of his early initiatives.

Together with other internationally funded projects, channeled through the Asantehene, it has changed the lives of many people in rural Ghana.

The recent end to a 17-year-old Dagbon chieftaincy dispute in Dagbon, culminating in the enskinment of a new Ya-Na, is certainly one of Otumfuo’s achievements.

He led the Committee of Three Eminent Chiefs to fashion out a roadmap for peace. But now, Otumfuo believes it is time for his paramount chiefs, with whom he has been working to assess him.

But speaking to Akwasi Nsiah on Kasapa News, Prof. Kwame Osei Kwarteng who’s the Head of History Department at the University of Cape Coast though commended the Asantehene for his good works noted that the King will do himself good if he’s accommodative of divergent views.

“Recently I saw a report in the media cataloging Asantehene’s achievement which included solving chieftaincy problems but that is where I fault him the most. Upon ascending the throne he destooled several chiefs and enstooled new ones. Even when he adjudicates on a chieftaincy dispute and one faction feels unfairly treated and wants an appeal of the ruling he doesn’t allow that saying he’s the owner of the stool and he decides who to give it to irrespective of who the person is. That is where I think the Otumfuo has not done well.”

Prof. Kwame Osei Kwarteng added: “Some of the stools in Asanteman have a great history, an example is the Akwaboah stool which was established by Okomfo Anokye and Osei Tutu but the Asantehene has taken the stole from the rightful family and given it to another family who claims late Asantehene Opoku Ware established the stool for them. But everyone knows that this is not true, some of these things make some people in Asanteman feel they’ve been hard done by the Otumfuo, which may reduce the level of their loyalty to Asanteman. So this is where I think the Otumfuo has to up his game and get some of these things right. If you are to go round interviewing people you’ll realize that several of them are not happy with certain decisions of Otumfuo but they are not able to speak up.”