Ayisi Boateng To Contest Subin Constituency Seat

Mr George Ayisi-Boateng, a businessman in Kumasi, has declared his intention to vie for the Subin Constituency parliamentary seat on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Mr Ayisi-Boateng, who expressed the desire to contest the party's primaries prior to the 2008 elections, said he believed he possessed the qualities to bring the constituents together.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Kumasi, he said he had what it took to engineer and invigorate a new sense of hope in the constituents.

Although the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) and Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, Mr S. K. Boafo, has not publicly declared his intention not to stand, Mr Ayisi-Boateng is of the conviction that the incumbent has duly paid his dues and that it is about time he stepped aside for others to continue.

Mr Boafo has occupied the seat since January 1997.

“I have remained on the sidelines for far too long and it is time for me to lead my people,” Mr Ayisi-Boateng said, adding that the constituents were disillusioned and needed fresh blood to bring them a new sense of hope.

“Even though I have been contributing my quota on the sidelines, I feel I can do it better when I become the MP, since, as an ordinary floor member, my advice could be taken or rejected,” he said.

According to Mr Ayisi-Boateng, if the appeals being made to him by the public were anything to go by, then he would surely become their next MP.

He said he was responding to calls from the constituents to contest the seat, after declining similar appeals in 1996, 2000 and 2004.

''I declined because I saw the incumbent MP as a senior in the party and wanted to support him to win,'' he said.

According to Mr Ayisi-Boateng, the persistent calls on him to contest the seat was an indication that the constituents had some problems with the leadership style of Mr. Boafo, which was negatively affecting the image of the party in the constituency.

He said he was determined to redeem the waning goodwill of the party in the area and also position it to win massively in the constituency.

Mr Ayisi-Boateng said he reached the decision to contest after a series of consultations with opinion leaders, including former and current assembly members, as well as party executives in the constituency. The political maturity he had gained over the years was also a determining factor.

''I have firmly decided to seek the mandate of the party to represent the constituency in Parliament,'' he declared.

He said Subin constituents were fortunate to have had an MP who became the Ashanti Regional Minister for so many years, yet there were no significant projects to boast about.

He said for instance that the uncompleted Asafo interchange, which was situated in the heart of the constituency, had become a reference point for critics to lash at the government, not to talk about the inconvenience motorists had to suffer.

“If I am given the nod, I will ensure that contractors execute their projects in the constituency with dispatch. I will also ensure that I forge a closer relationship with the constituents,” he added.

Story by Enoch Darfah Frimpong