Prof. Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi
All political parties in the Brong Ahafo Region have come together to brainstorm on the creation of the proposed Brong East Region for the first time.
The  well-attended meeting was held by the Planning Committee set up by the chiefs of all traditional areas.
In his welcome address, Nana Bafour Asare Twi Brempong II, who is the chairman of the committee and Adontenhene of Techiman Traditional Area, reminded the representatives of the political parties to de-politicize the issue and ensure the welfare of the people of the proposed region.
Creation of a new region is a process and it is all about what the constitution says, he stated.
According to Nana Twi Brempong, the chiefs of all the traditional areas presented a petition to the president of the Republic per the constitution and the President, after studying the petition, presented it to members of the Council of State who made recommendations.
The President has also set up a commission to seek the opinions of the people before holding a referendum, Nana Twi Brempong said.
He pleaded with the representatives of the political parties to educate the people about the processes and the referendum to ensure that the people vote in their numbers.
He also warned against agitations about the siting of the capital of the proposed region to avert rancor among the various traditional authorities.
What is most important is how to make people understand the process so that when the time comes for people to go out there and vote, they would do so with enthusiasm and zeal.
All the representatives, who were present, lauded the idea and promised to work hard to make sure the creation of the new region comes to fruition to bring governance to the doorsteps of the people and also accelerate development.
Professor Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi, former Minister of Railways, Ports and Harbour, who is a royal of Techiman and Secretary to the Planning Committee, admonished everybody to take the issues seriously.
“You must start informing the people immediately when you go back to your various towns since time is not on our side.
He also appealed to the media to take the matter up and work for the success of the project since people listen more to radio these days.
It would be recalled that chiefs and queen mothers of all traditional areas in East Brong met about two weeks ago to brainstorm on the same issue.
They agreed to work assiduously to make the creation of the region a success.
From Eric Bawah, Techiman