In these modern times, two types of royal­ty strike a cord with me. The British monarchy and our own Asante monarchy. Both have a lot to offer in terms of the history and culture of the people they lead. Both have rich backgrounds, command respect, ignite much affection, yet the procedures leading to the occupancy of their thrones are very diverse. One is by right from a parent to his or her first child. While the other is by nomination, it is from a brother to a brother or an uncle to a nephew. Is the discrimination here lost on women's rights activists? It is never from a brother to a sister or an aunt to a niece. The British monarchy is increasingly one of the main attractions for the millions of tourists from around the world who visit England every year. The Buckingham Palace, the Windsor Castle, the Balmorals and the Royal Ascot are some of the things drawing tourists from near and wide to England. One, however, cannot say whether the enthu­siasm is of the same higher level today, looking at the upcoming young English royals and their expensive lifestyles. Some people even shudder to think of the future of the monarchy believing. that it has become irrelevant in the 21st century. The young royals are trying hard to live out­side the box, and move on as normal adults. They go partying and night-clubbing with friends into the early hours of the morning; wearing the mini skirts and the casual jeans in public and in private, and in public's eye, doing all those naughty things that most young adults would like to be part of at some stage in their lives. Some of the English taxpayers will not have any of that. They believe that the huge taxpayer's money spent on these royals home and abroad cannot be justified at a time when their 50-year-old National Health Service (NHS) is still not up to the scratch. One can confidently say that the Ghanaian taxpayer does not have the headache of the Brits. At least not with the institution of chieftaincy and certain­ly not with the one monarch who has won the true mark of admiration - ­Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene. Nana Otumfuo is rather saving the taxpayer some extra burden by mobilis­ing funds for developments that would otherwise have been the headache of both local and central governments. In a decade, this modern King of the Ashantis has made a complete 360 degrees transformation to the look and feel of chieftaincy in this nation. Born a royal with a mother occupy­ing the seat of the Queen of Ashanti, Otumfuo Osei Tutu has all it takes, as occupant of that powerful stool, to cross his legs, and just give orders and com­mands. In fact, he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, groomed from infancy to one day take up the mantle from his uncle, the late Otumfuo Opoku Ware. However, this is a man who, from the day he ascended the throne, has not stopped dreaming about what he can do to transform lives. He has brought so much respect and transformational change, leading to development and modernisation of the business of chieftaincy, particularly in the Ashanti state. Otumfuo decreed, in the early days of his reign, that all stool dissentions in Ashanti were to be settled out of court. As a leader wielding so much respect and honour, many outstanding disputes have truly been settled before him and peace brought back to those paramountcies. Where stool vacancies were giving cause for feuds, all he had to do was to give ultimatums, and peace prevailed. Apart from the tranquility he has brought into traditional governance, Otumfuo's pen­chant for modernity and his high appreciation for aesthetics can be seen in the way he has transformed the Manhyia Palace. I have had the privilege to visit the palace on a few occasions before April 1999. I had the opportunity to visit again, at least, on two occasions shortly after Otumfuo's coro­nation in 1999. Since then, I have made other visits, the last one, as recently as 2008, for an Awukudae Festival. It was a pleasant experience. Manhyia Palace has transformed. It has taken one great King's vision to bring that huge face-lift to the city of Kumasi. Manhyia Palace now gives the tourist a ful­filling satisfaction and a complete update on the ever-colourful Ashanti history. The museum is not only refreshing, it is also educative. It is even more appealing to the eye than the nation­al museum that is supposed to have a national aura and serve a larger and diverse purpose. Otumfuo has totally embraced culture and he is making sure that the old blends with the new. The many Awukudaes, the Akwasidaes and the recent huge durbar to mark his 10th anniversary attests to the successful blend. Modernity has been given prominence in his scheme of things, giving credence to the saying that if you do not change, change will change you. Otumfuo has not waited to be overtaken by change. He is, in fact, leading it. The Otumfuo Education Fund is one solid vision of the Ashanti King that has transformed the face of the role and defined the extent to which a traditional ruler can go. The Foundation has afforded hundreds of young Ghanaians the chance to better education. The multiple effects are that these young edu­cated minds will affect other lives in their fami­lies and communities and so the cycle goes on. Just as we were settling down with his many feats as we celebrate his decade of good tidings, Otumfuo has again stunned us all with the announcement of a Royal University to enhance the socio-economic development of our country. The areas of focus for this university are just apt for Ghana's growth. After education, it is health. We pray his next anniversary will unveil another great feat, maybe a Royal Infirmary for Ghana. We know the King can do it, yes, he has ably demonstrated that. Otumfuo will certainly be a case study of a visionary leader for many students of social sci­ence. There was a time when the many chief­taincy disputes and disturbances were getting so much out of control that people wondered whether an abolition of the institution was not the safest thing to do. Otumfuo has come to change whatever per­ception existed. He is one traditional leader we will certainly remember very much as the histo­ry of the Ashanti kingdom and chieftaincy in general takes another page. Just as the monarchy in Britain is facilitating tourism and yielding so much for the country, Ghana can take advantage of this unique institu­tion, fully develop and expand cultural tourism. We need to reinvigorate this institution of chief­taincy, give it some focus as a nation and help position it as a major tourism attraction and earner. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the 16th occupant of the Ashanti stool, has given us a lot of food for digestion. As he celebrates 10 beautiful years on a golden stool and, more important, as he thanks God for another blissful year added to his life, we pray that he will live long, so we may enjoy many more years of continued transfor­mation. Happy anniversary in a double portion to Otumfuo - one for a decade on the Golden Stool and the other for another birthday which falls today. Happy birthday your majesty. Credit: Vicky Wireko [vickywirekoandoh@yahoo.com