Tonights Presidential Debate: Will JAK Show Up?

....JAK doing what JAM did in 2000
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), in collaboration with four political parties, will today hold a presidential debate at the Accra International Conference Centre.

The debate, which begins at 7 p.m., will afford the presidential candidates the opportunity to put across their manifestos and answer questions on social issues, good governance and the economy. The debate will be broadcast live on radio and on the two main television stations, TV3 and Metro tonight.

Barring a last minut change of heart, it is almost certain that President Kufuor would not be present, following pressure from his advisers not to face Mills.

Speaking on an Accra radio station, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, the Campaign Manager of the NPP, said the President would not be able to participate in the debate. This, he explained, was because of the President?s schedule.

In an interview, the Administrator of the IEA, Mrs Jean Mensa, said all the candidates, apart from the NPP candidate, had communicated their intention to participate in the debate. Concerning the President, she said although her outfit had not been formally informed, the IEA was aware that he would not participate. According to her, it was unfortunate that the President would not be able to participate because the IEA had been working with the chairmen and general secretaries of all the political parties since March this year on the debate

All the four presidential candidates, Dr Edward Mahama of the People?s National Convention (PNC),President J.A. Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP),Prof J.E. A. Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and Mr George Aggudey of the People?s Convention Party (CPP) are billed to attend.

The sole interviewer will be Joy FM?s Komla Dumor who was chosen unanimously by the candidates. Kwaku Sakyi Addo, the other interviewer of choice is out of the country.

Mills failed participate in the 2000 debate organised by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), but made up for the absence later when he opened himself to searching interview days later though it is unlikely that the NPP will try to even the score by urging the incumbent President to miss out because of this.

Should Mills or Mahama put up a good showing, there is no question that it could make the difference between an undecided voter rewarding the candidate and punishing the one who refuses to show up unless a very good reason like sudden sickness is clearly proven