By Dennis Peprah
Sunyani, (Bono), Mar. 10, GNA – Mr Ransford Antwi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Suncity Groups of Companies on Monday called on President John Dramani to direct the Constitution Review Committee to include the Bono Region intended nationwide stakeholder engagements.
Chaired by Professor H Kwasi Prempeh, the committee had announced its stakeholder and zonal engagements as part of the on-going constitutional review process and zoned the locations for the event.
According to a statement issued, the engagements would be held in Accra, representing zone one, Tamale/Bolgatanga, zone two, Wa, zone three, Kumasi, zone four, Takoradi/Cape Coast, zone five, Koforidua, zone six and Ho, zone seven.
“However, it has come to our attention that the Bono Region, which holds significant importance in our national dialogue, has been conspicuously omitted from the list of consultation zones,” Mr Antwi told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Sunyani on Monday.
“It’s unfortunate and disappointing that the committee did not include stakeholders in Sunyani and the Bono Region in the face-to-face stakeholder engagements,” he added.
Mr Antwi, also the Independent Candidate who contested in the Sunyani East Parliamentary Elections in the Election 2024 said “President John Dramani Mahama must call the committee to order because that is totally discrimination and tribalistic”.
“We also have distinguished local government and policy experts, legal practitioners, and local civil society experts. We cannot continue to sit down for others to dictate for us.
“The committee exempting the Bono Region from face-to-face engagement is a gross disrespect that undermines the intellectual prowess of the chiefs and people of Sunyani, and the Bono Region by extension,” he regretted.
“We find this exclusion to be both shocking and deeply disrespectful to the people of Bono. Out of the ten (10) old regional capitals, only Sunyani, the capital of Bono Region, has been left out of these important consultations”.
“That is a deliberate attempt to side-line the views and concerns of the people of Bono, and it raises serious questions about the fairness and inclusivity of this process,” he added.
“It is difficult to comprehend why the Bono Region, with its rich history and contribution to the national conversation, has been deliberately excluded. Prof. Prempeh’s rationale for this decision does not seem to hold any substantial weight.”
“If time and resources are truly a concern for the Committee, then it would be better to halt the entire exercise rather than using it as an opportunity to disrespect and alienate the people of Bono,” Mr Antwi stated.
“We, the people of Bono, would like to respectfully remind the Committee and, by extension, your esteemed office, that the exclusion of our region from this important national exercise is unacceptable.
“If this matter is not addressed promptly and properly, we will have no choice but to take our concerns to the streets, sending a clear and unified message to all parties involved”, he stated, urging committee to ensure that the views of the people of Bono “are given the attention they deserve in this crucial constitutional review process”.
GNA