Creation of new regions: Be careful not to breach the law – Coalition
Members of the Volta Coalition for Research and Advocacy (VOCRA) have called on the commission of enquiry responsible for the creation of new regions in the country, to be cautious not to disregard the law in executing their duties.
It noted as an action in that regard would demean their rights as natives of the Volta Region.
In a statement jointly signed by Koku Amenyaglo and Destiny Awumey, Convener and Secretary respectively and issued yesterday, the coalition made reference to an incident in the region where a group of people with support from some chiefs are opting to join a particular tribe based on their common lineage and in the process are pushing strongly to claim a land.
“Per our intelligence gathering we have been reliably cognized that based on the language differences, a group of people ably supported by some chiefs at the northern belt of the Volta Region are associating themselves with an explicit tribe because they trace their lineage towards that direction, thereby pushing strongly for the motion to claim the land,” it said.
The coalition noted that the development which they define as unconstitutional was likely to influence government’s decisions on the creation of a new region in the Volta Region and cited a section of the Constitution which would be breached.
“As government may be swayed away by the euphoria, we will like to draw attention to a possible breach of Article 35 clause 5 of the 1992 Constitution under the Directive Principle of State Policy which states: “ The State shall actively promote the integration of the people of Ghana and prohibit discrimination and prejudice on the grounds of place of origin, circumstances of birth, ethnic origin, gender or religion, creed or other beliefs.
“Towards the achievement of the objectives stated in clause (5) of this article, the State shall take appropriate measures to – (a) foster a spirit of loyalty to Ghana that overrides sectional, ethnic and other loyalties; (c) provide adequate facilities for, and encourage, free mobility of people, goods and services throughout Ghana.”
The coalition noted that for the safety and unity of the people of the Volta Region and Ghana, it would be wiser to avoid breaching the constitution and cited the recent tribal conflict between the people of Alavanyo and Nkonya on the boundaries of their lands as an example of what might happen.
“Any step in contradicting the constitution is a clear disintegration process and the good people of the region will frown on it. –ghanaweb.com
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