Is A Done Deal For Dr. Kofi Asare At Akwatia Constituency Baba Jamal To Taste Third Successive Defeat.

Whoever had doubts about the outcome of the parliamentary election at the Akwatia Constituency must now be doing a revision of his notes.

Maybe, the NDC should have heeded to the advice of their founder seriously by making an indigene of the town its parliamentary candidate. Which ever way one looks at it, the party would have been negatively affected. In the first place, it would have been a very humiliating experience if the fire-brand Deputy General Secretary had been shoved aside for a much more winnable candidate. On a sober reflection, it is becoming a reality that the political fortunes of this serial radio panelist will plummet to a very low level after this year's Parliamentary Election The indigenes of Akwatia had brought forth one, Ahiable to be supported by both NPP and NDC members from the town. That was their thinking at the beginning. – That since Ahiable comes from the town, he should be supported by indigenes of Akwatia from both sides of the political divide.

But politics is not about the son of the soil syndrome. It is about development. It is about strategies. Thus, the issue as to which of the three main contenders - Baba Jamal (NDC) Ahiable (Independent) and Dr Kofi Asare would clinch the coveted seat was given a dress rehearsal at Kusi on Saturday, 29th November, 2008 during the burial and final funeral rites of the late ex-Chief of Kusi, Nana Nketia Tenadu III.

It is a known fact that the NDC always gets the largest chunk of the votes from Akwatia and Kusi. But what happened at Kusi on that day gave an indication that the voting pattern might change and Baba Jamal may go on premature retirement from politics after this year's election. Baba Jamal, perhaps sensing a hostile reception never showed up. But for Ahiable whose symbol is the broom, what he got at Kusi that day gave him a pre-curser of what to expect, come December 7, 2008.

We were at the funeral grounds when we heard that “Praye” (broom] was coming. I didn't have any idea of who they were referring to as Praye. I thought they were referring to the musician. Not long after that, we saw a man in company of about ten people mostly youths. He was introduced and like the bad actor in Shakespeare Macbeth, he was heard no more.

All of a sudden, there appeared to be something like a stampede. People started running helter skelter. Then from the “Asaase so” end of the town, near the local primary school we saw an approaching crowd. It was like the horde of locust. It was actually a Brazilians carnival. The crowd was one of the largest ever seen in the area.

Even though, it was not a political gathering, almost the entire township of Kusi and those who came to mourn with the townsfolk formed part of the NPP aspirant's entourage It took more than thirty minutes before he reached the funeral grounds – a distance of less than two hundred metres.. It was a thrilling moment. Led by different musicians amidst the demonstration of different intricate steps of the Kangaroo dance, Dr. Asare accompanied by the incumbent MP for Kade Constituency enjoyed every bit of his “coronation” and in the end, made a lasting impression on all those who had gathered for the grand funeral. Many were those who struggled to get a warm handshake from the aspiring NPP Parliamentary aspirant. Others also brought out pictures to be autographed by him. This was a new innovation in the campaign strategies of many aspirants, and the campaign team of the former Medical Director should be given kudos for coming up with such innovation.

No wonder, somebody remarked after the man had left the scene that “indeed, this Dr. Asare of a man looks every bit a Member of Parliament. And if the credentials I have heard of him is the truth, then Akwatia constituency should count itself lucky to have such a selfless individual to represent it”.

The mesmerizing presence of Dr Kofi Asare, his affable personality and personal charisma earned him the love and respect of the entire gathering. The is no doubt that the positive impression he created on the minds of the people would be the talk of the area for a long time to come. It is also the belief that such an impression would be translated into votes for him when the day of reckoning arrives.

Indeed, Dr. Asare is moving forward. And so are we all.

Daniel Danquah Damptey
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