The Ashantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has disclosed that he has no intention of forcefully coercing anybody to kowtow to him.
The Ashantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu spoke at the first Council Meeting in the Ashanti Region and made it clear that his intention is to give a facelift to those willing to develop the traditional areas under him.
“The reason why the government created the new regions especially, Ahafo and Bono East is to expand development, it doesn’t mean if you are under the Asante Kingdom you have become autonomous, you still serve the Golden Stool (sikadwa)”, he said.
According to Otumfuo, if others are willing to submit in order to gain the needed development and progress in their respective areas, “I don’t think you have any impact, those who want to be lifted to a dignified status would be accorded that and helped.”
Otumfuo further stated that he would work vigorously for the betterment of areas in Bono East that are under his jurisdiction to have the best that they deserved.
“If you cannot fight for Asanteman, please vacate the seat for those who can. If you cannot sacrifice like our forefathers, then you don’t deserve the seat.
“Bono East too, anybody trying to raise his or her shoulders must be careful, not under my watch. If you claim you are a man, I am also a man. And with Drobohene my uncle lifted you up in 1948.” Otumfuo disclosed.
“If you say today, no one can make the other a subject, who is making the other a servant here. No one has made the neighbor a servant,” he emphasized.
It comes after the Dormaahene appears to have challenged the jurisdiction of the Asantehene in portions of Dormaa.
The Dormaahene Osagyefo Oseadeyo Agyeman Badu II, had stated that no part of his traditional area in the then Brong-Ahafo Region is within the authority.
“No land within my traditional area belongs to the Ashantehene,” he stated at a press conference ostensibly in reply to a comment by the Ashantehene, Otumfuo.
The Ashantehene in a separate interaction had indicated that “people should not make the mistake that Brong-Ahafo is not part of Ashanteman. It is, and I, the Ashantehene, represent the authority of Ashanteman.”
