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Last Updated: Dec 6th, 2007 - 04:42:56 |
The race for the flagbearership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) gathered momentum and produced another dimension on Sunday at a mammoth rally at Kasoa during the introduction of the party’s 17 presidential aspirants.
Apart from the usual wearing of T-shirts bearing the images and messages of the various aspirants and the posters posted on all available spaces, the introduction of billboards and balloons was the new addition to the political game.
None of the buildings close to the rally grounds was spared, as every inch of space on them was covered with banners of one aspirant or another.
Every available space on the pavements of the roads leading to and from the campaign grounds was awash with billboards of the various aspirants in varying magnitudes.
Whether by accident or design, the images of people wearing suits were very minimal on the billboards. To show how close they were in touch with tradition, most of the aspirants spotted either Kente cloth or smock in all their banners.
It was the same when the aspirants appeared in person at the rally, although none of them wore Kente. With the exception of a few who wore shirts, the others were in smocks of varying colours.
But the most spectacular aspect of the show was the display of advertising skills by some of the aspirants, especially Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, who had a huge white balloon, the size of a helicopter, which was positioned on top of one of the stores adjacent to the Old Kasoa Market where the rally was held. On it was the inscription, “Many are called, but one is chosen”.
One thing was common among the crowd which gathered to cheer the various aspirants — they all wore white T-shirts. Only supporters of Papa Owusu-Ankomah and Prof. Mike Oquaye wore yellow T-shirts.
Brass band music filled the air, with live bands also providing music for the teeming crowd to dance.Even dogs were spotted wearing T-shirts of some of the aspirants.
There were countless numbers of buses and motorbikes, all of which had the posters of the various aspirants on them.
So thick was the crowd that moving from one place to another was just impossible. That gave polic personnel at the grounds a hectic time controlling the crowd, but they did so marvellously..
The disqualified aspirant, Capt Nkrabea Effah-Darteh (retd), was the toast of the day. Wearing a yellow linen shirt, Capt Effah-Darteh was introduced by the National Chairman of the party, Mr Peter Mac Manu, to the crowd, amidst thunderous applause.
When he took the microphone, Capt Effah-Darteh, who had appealed against the decision of the party’s Vetting Committee to disqualify him,, said, “The national chairman has indicated that it is God who makes kings and because of that...,” then he started singing his favourite song, which, literally translated, means: “I am waiting on the face of the Lord”.
Another aspect added to the rally was the name John. Every aspirant was given seven minutes to address the gathering. When he was given the chance to present his message to the people, Mr Alan Kyerematen said since the onset of the Fourth Republic, the two persons who had assumed the position of President had John in their names, contending
that it was, therefore, right that he was given the position because he also bore the name John.
The Presidents who had John in their names are former President Jerry John Rawlings and President John Agyekum Kufuor.
But when Dr Kobina Arthur Kennedy took his turn, he asked the delegates to the December 22 congress to be wary of the name John because he claimed that one had been good, while the other was bad.
Although that was the lighter side of the rally, little did anyone expect Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng to wade into it.
According to him, majority of the politicians who started the independence struggle to date had been lawyers and so it was time they gave way to medical doctors.
However,realising that there was another medical doctor in the person of Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor in the race, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng hurriedly added that the delegates should give the mandate to a medical doctor who is a professor and taller than Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flag bearer for Election 2008.
Story by Donald Ato Dapatem
& Davina Nana Konadu
Source/Credits: Daily Graphic
© Copyright 2004 by Sikaradio.com
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