The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II took on politicians in the country during a thanksgiving service to round off his 60th birthday anniversary celebration in Kumasi. Otumfuo Osei Tutu said politicians should not uphold politics of deceit at the expense of real commitment to addressing the needs of the electorate. “Political leadership is fighting because of power. They go there and it is the money; nothing else,” Otumfuo told congregants at the Calvary Charismatic Church at Ayegya near the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. The Asantehene charged public office holders to initiate and implement projects to improve the livelihood of Ghanaians especially in the rural areas. He said it is regrettable majority of the citizenry continue be deprived of medical care, water and other social amenities. Remembering God “I am in this position not by myself, not by my mother but I think God put me there,” Otumfuo told congregants in Kumasi. “There were other competent candidates but maybe it fell on me because God knew what he wanted me to do. I have sought within the 11 years I came to this position to be of service to people in humility, believing that I am a mere mortal and therefore the air I breath, the water I drink is just the same thing as the labourer or the man who is holding my umbrella [drinks]. That makes me realize that they are all human beings as me; the only difference, may be, is my position. Why should I then forget that I am a mere mortal just like [my subjects] and therefore seek their welfare?” he asked. Again, citing his subjects as people who are “literally serving” him, Otumfuo said he must give back to society what society has given him. “How can I make this position relevant to society? Is it just being in palanquin, being under the umbrella, adorning myself with gold? With all that position what can I give back to people? We shouldn’t forget that the Lord God is the only [one] that can give power to all of us.” “If we forget that we own our positions to him, we shall go asunder,” he said. The Asantehene also decried the seeming thirst for power by the politicians which he said is mostly for selfish reasons. “Political leadership is fighting because of power. They go there and it is the money and nothing else. If we are going to look at the development of the country and if we say so that we want to be servants of the country why should we fight? “Because if we are going to really construct roads from Tamale to Bawku or Bolga and we deem it necessary and genuinely that that is the cause why we are there, why should we fight each other? “When you nominate yourself to be a servant of this country and you are no more in position why should we fight? “…Education, KNUST, the universities, the houses, lecture halls, are full up, the halls of residencies that we build, the numbers that were supposed to be there are now more than three to four times; What are we doing about these things; And stop the bickering on radio and all those things! “What is there in the castle that is why people will spend millions of cedis to campaign just to get there?” “When we go into elections and people pay bribes and then get the results is that genuine enough? “These are questions that we have to ask ourselves genuinely as a country,” he lamented Source: Luv Fm/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana *Fiifi Koomson contributed reporting