The Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, has condemned the attitude of members of the Judicial Committee, of the Brong-Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, who refuse to attend the Committee's meetings. Mr. Awuah expressed unhappiness, after the President of the House, Okatakyie Agyeman Kudom, mentioned that the number of chieftaincy cases, before the House, by the close of last year, was still pending. Speaking at the General Meeting of the Regional House of Chiefs in Sunyani, the Regional Minister said the House had no excuse to, this time round, put the blame on lack of Counsel, but rather they themselves. He, therefore, called on the House, to consider the resolution of the numerous chieftaincy cases, which have bedevilled the region, to open doors for peace, stability and development in the areas where they emanate from According to him, the perennial chieftaincy disputes in the region had almost brought development, in certain communities to a standstill, thus bringing suffering to the people. He campaigned that instead of engaging in costly chieftaincy and land disputes, chiefs should rather channel their resources, time and energy into ventures that would make positive impacts on the lives of the people, and communities. Mr. Awuah noted that protracted disputes did not benefit anybody, because at the end of the day, there would be neither victor nor vanquished. According to the Regional Minister, recent events in some parts of the region on the chieftaincy front, suggested that some people wanted to hide behind the chieftaincy institution, to cause trouble. He advised the chiefs and kingmakers, to use laid down procedures to resolve chieftaincy disputes, and avoid all acts, which could lead to violence, cautioning that government would not sit down unconcerned, and allow such chiefs to disturb the peace of the country. Mr. Awuah noted that the face of the Chieftaincy Institution in Ghana was changing, and chiefs could not pretend not to be aware of that. He continued that a good leader was one who promotes peace and tolerance among his people, and acts as an ambassador of his traditional area, and not one who would destabilize the peace and unity of the people. He, therefore, appealed to the Chiefs, to use their positions, as community leaders, to preach the message of political tolerance during this political campaign period, and also during and after the election in December. "As Ghanaians with a common destiny, let us learn to be tolerant of each other's views, no matter our political affiliation. This is the time to prove the skeptics wrong, and let them understand that we are politically matured, and we are determined to nurture our young democracy to grow," he advised. According to the Minister, the government was determined to ensure that nothing was done to undermine the electoral process, and all citizens should therefore have the confidence, and boldness, to come out in their numbers to cast their votes for their preferred candidates, without fear. Source: The Chronicle