DAASEBRE OTI BOATENG MEETS QUEEN SHEBA (PAGE 17)

THE Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Daasebre Oti Boateng, has called on political leaders to conduct their campaigns on issues of national interest, devoid of personal attacks and insults.
That, he said, would enable the electorate to make an informed decision in selecting a party and aspirants who had the interests and welfare of the people at heart.
The Omanhene made the remarks when he hosted Queen Sheba III, the Imperial Empress of the African Nubian Kingdoms at his palace in Koforidua.
Queen Sheba, a heiress to the throne of the Mother of Sheba I, was in the country to reciprocate a visit by the Omanhene and his entourage to the African Kingdoms Federation summit in Tripoli, Libya, recently.
The Omanhene said to ensure that the country remained a beacon of hope for its best democratic practice in the sub-region, politicians must endeavour to turn their attention to addressing pertinent issues that undermined societal progress.
“If we, as politicians, are indeed serious about seeking the interests and well-being of our people, we must address concerns such as the provision of good health, education, potable water, roads and the socio-economic progress of society”.
Daasebre Boateng noted that that objective could be achieved when political authorities learned to abide by democratic principles which required them to respect the views and opinion of others.
He also urged Ghanaians not to allow themselves to be influenced by politicians with money and material things, explaining that “if we do so, they only succeed in buying our conscience and votes”.
Daasebre Boateng, who asked Ghanaians to be grateful to God for the discovery of oil in the country, called for fair distribution of the benefits accruing from the black gold.
Dwelling on African tradition, the Omanhene called on the people to do everything within their power to protect and promote customs and traditions, saying that “we must ensure that we keep them burning. We must not allow globalisation and technology to get rid of them”.
For her part, Queen Sheba called on the various kingdoms on the continent to unite to enable them to enhance the welfare of the people.
“It is only when we unite and support each other that we can effectively fight disease, poverty, hunger and illiteracy on our continent. When we are able to achieve these, then we will look righteous in the eyes of God," she said.
She called on kings and queens to participate in their numbers in the upcoming African Kingdoms Federation Summit in the United State of America to deliberate on how best to bring about significant change on the continent.