Race For Kufuor's Successor...

FRIMPONG-BOATENG ... Kufuor?s ?Clean? Man

Authoritative sources close to the ?political camp? of Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Chief Executive of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, have disclosed that the expert heart Surgeon, i s entering into the political arena, on the bidding of President J. A. Kufuor.

According to the sources, President Kufuor is placing his bet on Prof. Frimpong Boateng as a flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), in the next elections as a result of the dilemma in which he finds himself as a result of allegations of corruption, which has been leveled against some of the aspiring presidential candidates.

Mr Kufuor won?t also like to be supporting any of his close relations and thus be accused of nepotism.

His choice of Prof. Frimpong-Boateng (both hail from Daaban, in Ashanti), therefore, is to enable the party to present ?a clean man?, with no blemish on his character.

Political leaders on the twilight of their reign, have had to go for ?outsiders?, for various reasons.

Indeed, Prof. K. A. Busia, while as Prime Minister, gave an early indication of his preferences for an outsider, to succeed him, if he had been allowed to serve his full term of office.

In what was then referred to as the ?Lamentations of Tanoso?, Premier Busia, openly stated that, after watching the behaviour of his men, he could not find even one honest person around him.

For other reasons rather than those of honesty and corruption, former President J. J. Rawlings had to recommend an ?outsider?, Prof. J. A. Atta-Mills, whose credentials and character, stood above reproach and could be marketed, without much toil.

On his part, President Kufuor, without mounting a platform to make an open declaration, has picked a man, not only an Ashanti, but also ?a home-boy?, whose allegiance to him, personally, even after leaving office, would be in no doubt.

So far, almost all the NPP office-holders, who are aspiring to be flag-bearers, have had some question marks, faxing them, a situation, which makes the President uncomfortable.

Currently, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng is spending his two weeks vacation campaigning in the Northern part of the country for the NPP.

Apart from confirming his bid for political power, he has openly proclaimed himself, as the best contestant, due to his background as a heart surgeon, a vocation, which requires extra-patience, in the approach to duty. Prior to the sudden entry in the race of Dr Frimpong-Boateng, it had been held that Dr Alan Kyeremanten, was Kufuor?s ?anointed? man.

Today, the President has dumbbed Alan Kyeremanten and is rooting for the heart surgeon, Prof Frimpong Boateng, the ?clean man?, but as to whether he is clean or not, remains to be seen. Stay tuned.