The position of President of National House of Chiefs has been proposed to be made the fifth most powerful office after the President, Vice President, Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice. The Constitutional Review Commission is currently considering a proposal sent by a syndicate group on traditional authority which is calling for the chieftaincy institution to be highly recognised and given its pride of place in the hierarchy of powerful positions in the country’s constitution. Article 57 of the 1992 constitution stipulates that the President, his vice, the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice are, in that order, the four most powerful and important personalities in the country. The syndicate group made up of lawyers, judges and chiefs wants the president of the National House of Chiefs to be inscribed in the constitution as the fifth most powerful personality in the country. Incumbent President of the National House of Chiefs, Naa Prof John Nabila, told Joy News’ Bernard Saibu he supports the proposal because it makes absolute sense. He said the chieftaincy institution in its current status is starved of resources, hoping if the president of the institution is given its pride of place it would be well resourced. Naa Prof Nabila maintained that the role of chiefs would not be significantly different if the proposal was accepted by the Commission. He said chiefs would continue to play their role in local governance and decentralisation policy in the country. With the chieftaincy institution replete with its own controversies and sometimes violence, Prof Nabila was hopeful the new proposal if accepted and passed into law would not be another source or recipe for chaos. But the propriety of such a proposal is being questioned. Lawyer Bright Akwetey fears the proposal if constitutionalised would destroy the sanctity of the chieftaincy institution. He said with the status quo, chiefs had largely been insulated from active partisan politics which in recent times had become a bit nasty. He also questioned whether the president of the house of chiefs would rise and fall with a particular regime if the proposal was sustained. He said the proposal might be a good idea but warned its implementation should not be rushed. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana