Stephen Asamoah Boateng, the Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, has clarified that President Akufo-Addo did not order the Yagbonwura to stand up and greet him.
He has described the development as a ” deliberate and misleading piece of propaganda which is being distributed by mischief makers.”
According to the Minister, he was present at the said event and what the President did was to pay homage to the Yagbonwura with beaming smiles.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it is important to reiterate that at no point during the President’s visit to Damongo on Saturday, 27th April 2024, was the Yagbonwura asked to stand up and greet the President.
“As Minister, I was with the President at the event, and, as seen clearly on videos, the President, beaming with smiles, walked over and paid homage to the Yagbonwura, who was the host of the event in Damongo. The general public is urged to avoid this deliberate and misleading piece of propaganda which is being distributed by mischief makers,” Mr. Asamoah Boateng has said in a statement issued Tuesday, April 30, 2024, to clarify the position of the Constitution in the brouhaha regarding the President’s demand for chiefs to stand up and greet him.
The Minister has said the need for the President to be accorded the respect as the first gentleman of the land by all, including chiefs, is codified in the Constitution making it right for chiefs to stand and greet him at public functions outside their palaces.
“It is also to be remembered at all times that the Constitution, as set out in article 57 (2), states that “the President shall take precedence over all other persons in Ghana”. Indeed, the President is the Head of State, Head of Government and Commander-in Chief of the Armed Forces of Ghana, and regarded as the foremost representative of the nation both domestically and internationally.
“Chiefs have been asked to accord respect to the President, by standing up to greet him, at public events. Indeed, on no occasion has the request for chiefs to stand up to greet him been made within the confines of their palaces, because he recognizes the sanctity of their ancestral spaces,” the Chieftaincy Minister stated in his release.
“Instead, the protocol where at public events, Chiefs rise to greet him as indeed is stated in the Constitution, is meant to give credence to this unique national provision. This dynamic illustrates a harmonious blend of modern governance with the rich tapestry of Ghana’s cultural heritage,” Mr. Asamoah Boateng added.
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