Politics of Thursday, 8 May 2014

Source: Daily Guide

Ashanti chief is NDC

Baffuor Kotei Kutin Sraman, Bremanhene in the Ashanti Region, who openly endorsed President John Mahama for the 2016 polls at a public function last weekend, is a staunch member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), DAILY GUIDE has learnt.

The Bremanhene was said to have even contested for the Bantama parliamentary seat on the ticket of the NDC in 2000, but lost miserably to the NPP’s Dr Richard Anane.

Maxwell Ofosu Boakye, the Assembly Member for Breman Abusuakuruwa, who disclosed this to DAILY GUIDE, said Baffuor Kutin Sraman openly declared his support for President Mahama because he was a known NDC man.

He descended heavily on the Bremanhene for openly declaring his support for the President at a public function although the Asantehene had sternly cautioned chiefs in Asanteman not to dabble in partisan politics.

Ofosu Boakye noted that Baffuor Kutin Sraman was hiding under his chieftaincy position to campaign for President Mahama, indicating that the chief’s conduct was unfortunate.

He said the majority of people residing in Breman were known New Patriotic Party (NPP) loyalists; therefore it was not true that residents of Breman would offer their support to President Mahama in 2016.

The Assemblyman admonished the chief to stay away from partisan politics so as to protect the dignity of the chieftaincy institution.

Mr Ofosu Boakye said if the chief continued to indulge in partisan politics, as he did when the President inspected a road project in the area recently, “we shall be forced to treat him as a politician.”

Though he contested as NDC candidate for Bantama in 2000, the Assemblyman said now that he was a chief, he should be seen as a neutral person.

“He should put his NDC days behind now that he is a traditional leader so that we will continue to give him the respect that is due him,” he said.

He said the citizenry were facing severe economic hardship, and power crisis, as residents of the Ashanti Region in particular suffer due to the Capitation System of the NHIS which had been pushed on them by the NDC administration.

The Assemblyman said he was surprised that the Bremanhene could not appeal to the President to implement policies to save the country from its woes, but rather used the opportunity he had to shower praises on the man.

He averred that if the Bremanhene had decided to vote for the NDC in 2016, he was free to do so, stating that the chief’s statement that Breman residents would vote for President Mahama in 2016 was false, saying, “He can’t tell us who we should vote for.”

Meanwhile, reports reaching DAILY GUIDE indicate that Baffuor Kutin Sraman has attracted the anger of Breman residents following his open support for President Mahama.

People in the area were said to be angry about the chief’s open support for the President.

The support and respect that the chief used to enjoy in the area were waning rapidly, the paper learnt.

In a related development, Baffuor Kutin Sraman has denied on Kessben FM that he said the people of Breman would vote for President Mahama and the NDC in 2016.

He explained that he said if the President continued with his good works, the people of Breman might change their minds and vote massively for him in the next national elections.