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Politics of Wednesday, 16 July 2014

Source: The herald

Alan Kyerematen changes campaign message

….. after severe backlash from NPP delegates

Presidential Aspirant of the New Patriotic Party, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, has been forced to beat a hasty retreat and renege on his campaign pledge he made in the Brong Ahafo Region to delegates, as well as in an interview with Classic FM in Techiman, after the promises he made were described as “platform talk” by some delegates.

In his bid to woo delegates of the party to vote for him, Alan Kyerematen told all NPP faithful that when elected as presidential candidate, he would ensure that all executives of the NPP are put on a monthly salary so they can focus on working for the NPP fulltime.

According to the twice-defeated NPP Presidential aspirant, “if I become flagbearer this year, I will make sure that every party executive gets a full time salary, from polling station, constituency to regional as well as the electoral area coordinators so that the person can concentrate on the work of the party.”

After the sustainability and feasibility of this promise by Alan Kyerematen was questioned, he beat a hasty retreat.

Calculations made by the Herald Newspaper indicate that the man known as Alan Cash will need some GH¢25 million every month to pay the over 140,000 executives of the party across the length and breadth of the country. This translates into some GH¢300 million a year, calling into question where Mr. Alan Kyerematen was going to get the funding from.

However, realising the folly of his utterances, Mr. Alan Kyerematen caused his newly acquired press aide, Chieff Mohammed Obosu, to issue a hurriedly written statement to undo the mess created by Alan Kyerematen.

Chieff Mohammed Obosu, in a statement titled “Alan Kyerematen’s proposal ambitious but doable and sustainable” stated that his boss inadvertently did not mean to include paying salaries of polling station executives, who number 130,010.

Chieff Obosu stated that Alan, “has proposed to give all constituency and regional executives who are willing to work full time for the party a monthly salary to cater for their upkeep. It is important to note that, when one keeps double jobs, there is a likelihood that one will suffer, especially the one which is been done voluntarily.”

In a statement issued by Albert Adamu, an NPP member from the Cape Coast South Constituency, a copy of which is in the possession of the Herald, he begged Mr. Kyeremanten to grant the “NPP Party and its delegates some little intelligence and know that this is not a party of baboons who can just be told anything for the sake of winning votes.”

Albert Adamu, wondered why Alan Kyerematen was willing to go down that path.

“Is he so desperate to be Presidential Candidate that he has to make any weird promise which, in his view, will get him votes? And is it not interesting that Mr. Kyeremanten never thought of this policy when the party was even in government and when he was so close to the power-that-be but is suddenly thinking of this fulltime salary promise?”

“The advisors of Mr. Kyeremanteng should let him know that it is not every promise that will win you votes. Some promises can even infuriate delegates. The NPP is not known for this kind of promise and go campaigns,” he added.

It remains to be seen what the Alan Kyerematen Camp will do in the face of these inconsistencies and factual flaws put out by himself and his team.