Kumasi, Jan. 3, GNA - The Asante United Front (AUF) has expressed concern about the continued neglect of the City Hotel, once the number one pride of Kumasi and Asanteman.

The Front said the present situation where the hotel was being swallowed by weed should be a source of concern to all. It called on the Asantehene and the Asanteman Council to take up the issue instead of allowing the hotel, which was centrally located to fall apart.

These were contained in a Christmas and New Year message to the President issued in Kumasi on Friday and signed by Opanin Kwame Afreh, AUF chairman and copied to the press.

The Front noted that gradually but steadily, Kumasi was being stripped of the facilities that once made the city vibrant and mentioned the Shoe and Jute factories, which were also crying for a saviour. The Front, also expressed fears about the fate of the Guinness Factory in Kumasi in the face of the merger talks between Ghana Breweries Limited and Guinness Ghana Limited.

According to AUF, its fear stemmed from the fact that when Kumasi Brewery Limited (KBL), which was once vibrant merged with Achimota Brewery Company Limited (ABC) into Ghana Breweries Limited (GBL), the Kumasi factory no longer functions as it used to.

The Front wondered whether the Guinness merger was also not going to produce another empty factory building like KBL.

The message called on the government to act fast on the Kumasi Part One Land issue and appealed to the Asantehene and the Asanteman Council to do everything to ensure that the property reverted to the Golden Stool.

"The AUF is ready to make available authentic documents on the said property as well as the looted property of Asanteman locked away at the Bank of Ghana anytime we are called upon by the Asanteman Council."

The message said it was unfortunate that when the Front as part of its civil responsibility drew attention to the concerns of people of Asante, it drew insults from the Searchlight, an Accra-based newspaper, calling members of the Front animals and also took a swipe at the President.

The Front said it took into consideration the constant calls by the Asantehene and the President on Ghanaians to be tolerant and live in peace to control its anger in the face of the unbridled castigation and ridicule of Otumfuo and all Asantes by the newspaper.

The message said the Front was resolved to remain focused in its avowed role as a watchdog to ensure the development of Asanteman as a deserving contribution to the development of the country.