人民权利的捍卫者 /Fearless & Uncompromising Defender of People’s Rights
来源:迦纳术略
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作者:迦纳术略
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发布时间: 2020-11-20
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387 次浏览
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托比一直在推动沃尔特和奥蒂地区的发展，从不放过任何一个提醒政治责任人在地区重组工作中遵守1992年宪法规定的机会。他的正直、真实、勇气、韧性、同情心、爱心、世界大同和尊重等价值观是国家发展的关键，值得效仿。他把职位看作是发起变革和推动发展以改变生活的途径。
Togbe Afede XIV 十四世･托比･阿菲德
虽然在加纳这个地方，出于某些显而易见的原因（包括可能受到攻击和辱骂），领导人不容易对权力说真话，但有一个人对此现象置之不理，独辟蹊径，敢于说事实，毫不在乎被戳穿的是谁。
他也许不是圣人，也并非总是正确的，但他在捍卫人民的权利，特别是那些没有发言权的普通人民的权利时，总是无所畏惧。尽管他的做法招致了诸多怨恨和人身攻击，但他仍然坚韧不拔，实话实说已成为他的习惯 。面对外界对他一些行为公开声明的批评，他保持一贯态度，而这些言论往往听起来让两派的政治家都不喜欢。这个人就是国家酋长院主席、阿索勾力州的传统领袖十四世･托比･阿菲德。虽然他常常处于被攻击和辱骂的边缘，但他依然坚定不移。
托比･阿菲德是一位杰出的商人、经济学家和精明而有影响力的传统领导人，他曾在四届共和国除一届政府外的所有政府中任职。1989年美国耶鲁大学毕业后，他与财政部长Ken Ofori Attah先生和加纳电力公司（ECG）董事会主席Keli Gadzekpo共同创办数据银行，后来又成立非洲战略证券（SAS）等一系列企业，不断为国民提供就业机会。1992年解禁党派政治后，新爱国党（ New Patriotic Party ）与他恢复关系，让他以新爱国党的身份参加霍城（Ho）中央席位的竞选，托比拒绝了，并继续从事个人事业和生意。自从担任阿索勾力州（Asogli State）首领以来，他一直努力重新定义这个角色，为历届政府提供明智的建议，在经济领域进行具有战略意义投资，为加纳人民创造就业机会，为政府和加纳银行等国家机构提供技术咨询，并且促进慈善事业。作为一名在耶鲁大学受过教育的优秀经济学家，托比･阿菲德将他的专长经验和知识贡献给国家，为国家知名机构服务。2003年，时任总统约翰·阿吉耶库姆·库福尔（John Agyekum Kuffour）任命托比为加纳银行董事会董事成员，因为他对加纳银行确定利率的方法提出了大胆质疑。
他凭借自己的实力赢得该职位，这一任命丝毫没有阻止他就国家问题，特别是对侵犯人民权利、非人道化和政治不包容、不发达和部落主义等问题发表强烈的看法。他为勇敢地面对这些问题付出过代价，但托比依旧是多元化、包容性政治、正直、团结、有爱、尊重和发展的坚定推动者。这些都是他一生遵循的价值观。托比･阿菲德在约翰·埃文斯·阿塔赫·米尔斯（John Evans Attah Mills）执政期间继续担任加纳银行的董事会成员，继续针砭时弊。虽然在许多场合，他在这些斗争和表达自己的情绪时都是独行侠，但他从未被批评和人们对他的评价所吓倒。他依旧坚韧不拔，毫不妥协。继而，凭借他的能力和专业敏锐性，托比被任命为国家投资银行的董事会主席，他在阿库福-阿多的新政府留任，直到后来他选择辞职。这就是托比･阿菲德的作风。之后他继续捍卫加纳人民的权利和愿望。他不断致力于推动人民和整个国家的发展。例如，在2016年大选前，他告诉全国，沃尔特省是一个等待求婚者的新娘。他试图传达的信息是，当时包括奥蒂地区在内的沃尔特省需要发展，发展提供方是谁都行。因此各政党，特别是那些声称沃尔特是“世界银行”的政党，不应该不把沃尔特当回事。这一声明符合新爱国党（NPP）的利益，因为该党在沃尔特的得票率大幅上升，在Krachi East选区赢得了一个席位。作为一个无所畏惧的传统领导人，托比･阿菲德再次对从沃尔特省脱离建立一个新地区的计划和进程提出批评。无论是否建立一个新的区域，在这个问题上他关心的不仅是建立过程，同样他还担心的是奥蒂地区是否真的需要发展。他将人民的利益放在首位，再次站在最前列，质疑政府组织全民公投决定是否让地方政府系统成为党派的举动。历史证明他站在了正确的一边，为数百万没有发言权的加纳男性、女性、青年和儿童辩护。他们认为，随着政治已经渗透到我们的几乎每一个机构，包括教会，地方政府系统不应遭受同样的党派之争的命运。他们想保持原样。最终国家酋长院主席托比･阿菲德带领手下几位能干的议长成功地反对了公投。
最近一段时间，他对安全部队入侵沃尔特省边境城镇的行为提出批评，因为这除了侵犯人民权利外，还对居民的生活造成了巨大损失。为了亲自查明情况，他和沃尔特酋长院的成员视察了几个受影响的地区，并与酋长和安全人员进行了交流。同样，作为建设强大的国家机构的坚定信念者，他坚信这些机构的管理方式不应受政治干预。每当他意识到他所服务的机构受到不适当的政治干预时，他就会毫不犹豫地辞职。托比一直在推动沃尔特和奥蒂地区的发展，从不放过任何一个提醒政治责任人在地区重组工作中遵守1992年宪法规定的机会。他的正直、真实、勇气、韧性、同情心、爱心、世界大同和尊重等价值观是国家发展的关键，值得效仿。他把职位看作是发起变革和推动发展以改变生活的途径。
Togbe Afede XIV: The Fearless
and Uncompromising Defender of People’s Rights
Although it is not easy in our part of the world for leaders to speak truth to power because of some obvious reasons which include possible attacks and name-calling, one man has defied that odd by carving a niche for himself when it comes to saying things without minding whose ass is gored as far as that is the unpalatable truth.He may not be a saint nor has it always got it right, but he has always exudes courage, boldness and fearlessness in his defence of people’s rights especially those of ordinary countrymen and women many of whom are voiceless.Though his approach has earned him so much of hatred, bitterness and character assassination, but he has remained resilient in what has become his stock in trade – saying it as it is. He has remained consistence in the face of mounting criticism of some of his actions and public pronouncements which often sound unpalatable to politicians of both divides.That man is Togbe Afede XIV, the Chairman of the National House of Chiefs and the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State. Though he has been at the receiving end of attacks and abuses, he remains firm.As a Businessman par excellence, Economist and an astute and impactful Traditional ruler, Togbe Afede has served all but one government in the Fourth Republic. Upon his return from Yale University in 1989, he together with Mr Ken Ofori Attah, the Finance Minister and and Keli Gadzekpo, the Board Chairman of ECG, started Data Bank before he later established Strategic African Securities and a chain of other businesses which continue to provide jobs to hundreds of our people.Upon the lifting of the ban on party politics in 1992, there was a rapprochement on him by the New Patriotic Party for him to contest the Ho Central seat on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party, but he declined the offer and remained in his private practice and business.Ever since he assumed the chieftaincy title of the Asogli State, he has been doing so much to redefine that role by offering wise counsels to successive governments, investing in very strategic areas of the economy, creating jobs for the teeming masses of our people, providing technical advice to our governments and national institutions including the Bank of Ghana as well promoting the cause of charity.As an astute Yale trained Economist, Togbe Afede has put his expertise, experience and knowledge at the disposal of the state by serving some of our national institutions of repute. In the year 2003, then-President John Agyekum Kuffour appointed Togbe Afede to the Board of Bank of Ghana after Togbe Afede had brilliantly challenged the Bank of Ghana’s methodology employed in the determination of interest rates.So that was a position he earned on the basis of his competence. Meanwhile, it is worthy of note that this appointment did not in any way stop him from expressing his strong views on national issues especially those that bother on the abuses of people’s rights, dehumanization and politics of exclusion, underdevelopment and tribalism.Togbe is a firm promoter of diversity, inclusive politics, integrity, unity, love, respect and development. These are values he has lived with all through his life, even though he has paid prices for standing up to these issues.Togbe Afede further served as a Board Member of the BOG under the Presidency of Prof. John Evans Attah Mills, but continued symptomatically of him to point out the evils of the government.Although on many occasions he has been a lone ranger in these fights and expression of his sentiments, yet he has never been daunted by criticisms and what people say of him. He remains resolute and uncompromising.On the basis of his competence and professional acumen, Togbe was again appointed the Board Chairman of the National Investment Bank whose position he occupied and retained under the new government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo having been renominated by the new government until he later tended his resignation.Characteristic of Togbe Afede, he continued to defend the rights and aspirations of Ghanaians and his people. He continues to push for development for his people and the country at large.For instance, ahead of the 2016 general election, he told the whole country that the Volta Region is a bride awaiting a suitor for marriage. What he sought to convey was that the Volta Region which included Oti Region at the time requires development and does not care who provides her with the needed development, so political parties especially those who claim her as their ‘World Bank’ should desist taking the region for granted.This statement inured to the benefit of the NPP as the party has seen a significant jump in its share of the Votes in the region to the extent of winning a seat at Krachi East Constituency. As a fearless traditional ruler, Togbe Afede was again critical of the plans and processes leading up to the creation of a new region out of the Volta Region. In that regard, not only was he concerned about the processes of the creation, but he was equally concerned that the Oti enclave needs real development which can be provided with or without the creation of a new region.As someone who puts people’s interest ahead of his, he was again at the forefront in questioning government’s move at organizing a referendum on whether to make the local government system of the country partisan. He was at the right side of history by defending the millions of voiceless Ghanaian men, women, youth and children who feel that with politics having permeated almost every of our institutions including the church, the local government system should not suffer same fate of partisanship.They wanted it left the way it is. Togbe Afede as the Chairman of the National House of Chiefs together with some of his able chiefs of the House successfully kicked against the referendum.In recent times, he has been critical of the invasion of the Volta Region’s border towns by security forces as this is taking a huge toll on the livelihoods of the residents in addition to allegations of abuse of the people’s rights. To ascertain things for himself, he together with some members of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs toured some of the affected areas and interacted with the chiefs and the security personnel.Again, as strong believer in the building of strong national institutions devoid of political interferences in the manner these institutions are administered, he never hesitates to resign whenever he realizes the undue political interferences in the institutions he serves.Togbe has always pushed for the development of the Volta and the Oti Regions and has never misses an opportunity to remind political duty bearers to go by the dictates of the 1992 Constitution in the regional reorganization exercise. His values of integrity, truthfulness, courage, resilience, empathy, love, cosmopolitan mix and respect are key for national development and worthy of emulation. He sees positions as means of initiating change and affecting lives through development.来源：GhanaWeb
编译：Lisa
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