31 October 2008
A concurrent show of pundits on Metro TV roundly saw the Convention People's Party (CPP) flagbearer, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, as the runaway candidate who connected with the electorate, through the IEA debate last Wednesday night, moderated by veteran communication chiefs Messrs Cyril Acolatse and Kwame Karikari.
For the Convention People's candidate, who had longed for a platform like Wednesday's, when the opportunity came, he seized it with both hands, urged on by his swooning wife Yvonne, his excitable campaign chief, David, his lukewarm comrade Professor Badu Akosah, his unflappable running-mate Abu Sakara, and a little wind-assisted turbo-prop from his 'private' Cardinal Appiah Turkson, into one sterling command performance.
For Nduom, who appears to be going nowhere in the polls, he needed an opportunity and another one on November 12th at Tamale, to shore up his ratings at the polls, for him to rake in the large number of undecided voters - some say as high as 14 per cent - into his column.
Papa Kwesi made the most of his moment, as the frontline candidates, Nana Akufo-Addo and Prof John Evans Atta Mills, faithfully went through their paces, ending on a high.
Not a single shot was fired in anger, though there were anxious moments with Mills insisting that there were cadavers littered on the sidewalks, because his dealings with the Association of Ghanaian Industries (AGI), the private sector, was now virtually comatose, having been abandoned for years now.
When the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, added the negative growth in agriculture, Nana Addo rebuffed him by reeling off figures to show that Mills was wrong, when he indicated that there was negative growth, despite the ten per cent addition to the GDP (gross domestic product) by the manufacturing sector, and an additional 9.1 per cent in agriculture.
Commentators on Joy Business, yesterday said both were right, depending on how one chose to interpret the issues. In industry, for example, there was negative growth, they said.
But the most charitable comment came from the one person who was qualified to make it - the former Finance Minister and reigning Oyeadieyie, Mr. Osafo Maafo.
He said conceded that Nduom was right on top, but believed that his man was also there with the most detailed answers, going on the allude to the domestic content law, which he said, he was going to bringing in to safeguard the interest and concerns of Ghanaian entrepreneurs.
Meanwhile, listeners and viewers in the regions have praised Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom for the precise answers he gave to questions put to him.
Below are views sampled by our regional correspondents. Read on.
Ashanti Region From Sebastian R. Freiku and Issah Alhassan, Kumasi
DR. PAPA Kwesi Nduom, flagbearer of the Convention People's Party (CPP), last Wednesday night thrilled the Ghanaian electorate with brilliant presentations, at the first of the IEA presidential debates held at the Ghana/India Kofi Annan International ICT Centre.
Residents in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi, lauded the performance of the CPP flagbearer, who pitched his prowess against New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Nana Akufo Addo, Prof. Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Dr. Edward Mahama of the People's National Convention (PNC), at the forum intended to strengthen democracy in Ghana.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo also amazed Ghanaians with his visions, quality of presentation, and approach to issues raised for discussion by the moderators.
The respondents, in views sampled by The Chronicle, vouched the credibility of views shared by the two flagbearers at the forum, saying their body language and quality of stuff, and presentation, indicated that they were at peace with themselves.
But, while many believe that the CPP flagbearer put a scintillating performance and articulated the views and policies of his party, others think that the NPP presidential candidate did well, considering the fact that he had to defend the policies of the current government, and advance his own.
A Lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering Department of the Kumasi Polytechnic, Dr. Owusu Achiaw, told the paper that even though he liked what he was hearing from Nana Akufo Addo, he was very impressed with the performance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom.
According to him, considering the limited time frame allotted to the contestants to answer questions, he believed the CPP flagbearer was very elaborate, and effectively communicated to the understanding of the average Ghanaian.
"Nduom managed to grasp the issues, identified the problem with illustrations, and offered concrete solutions, which perhaps, were missing from the other contestants, particularly, Prof. Mills," he noted.
To him, Mills did not help things, because he spent much of his time attacking the present government, and failed to offer his party's alternative policies. Though quite an experienced politician, Prof Atta Mills of the NDC was simply aggressive and impatient, he said.
The News Editor of Kapital 97.1 FM, a Kumasi-based private radio station, Mr. Erastus Asare Donkor, was also full of praises for the CPP flagbearer, and said Dr. Nduom was more focused, purposeful, and very straight to the point with respect to his answers.
He mentioned the CPP flagbearer's view on the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and the fact there was the need for the country to focus much attention on how to improve domestic investments, and avoid over reliance on our foreign partners.
Mr. Asare Donkor said even though Prof. Mills' view on education was somehow convincing that night, Dr. Nduom sought to instil a lot of confidence in the youth of this country, through his youth empowerment policy.
A teaching assistant at the Kumasi Polytechnic, Emmanuel Antwi, however, lauded the initiative of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), and said the programme, if sustained, would help advance the course of democracy in the country.
He, however, thinks Nana Akufo Addo was very impressive at the forum, because he dealt with facts and figures, and was more explicit, regarding the solutions to issues.
Callers into radio talk shows, the day after the IEA-organised event, showered lots of praises on Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, with known NPP members admitting that had it not been their political biases, they would have given their votes to the CPP flagbearer.
Meanwhile, residents and callers into radio programmes have commended the Institute of Economic Affairs for adding value to Ghana's democracy by this single event.
Central Region
Some individual views sampled in Cape Coast on Thursday, praised Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom for performing to their admiration, at just-ended presidential debate, hosted by the IEA on Wednesday, reports Alan Paintsil from Cape Coast
David Assumin, a student, said Dr. Nduom did well in presenting what he could do for the country, but missed the opportunity, by failing to mention his team to the nation, as he was very individualistic.
According to Assumin, because Dr. Nduom had no experience in governing the country, he was always referring to himself, while his opponents, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Nana Akufo Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), were using "we" to refer to their groups.
Another businessman, Kofi Acquah, hailed Prof. Mills for his incisive answers to the questions, because he was cautious about time, and did not want the organisers to draw his attention to bell-outs.
According to him, his analysis on the oil discovery was very superb, and described his submission as an Obama style of debate, in which he attacked the ruling party.
On Nana Akufo Addo, Kwow Mensah, a teacher, said he made his day by espousing the achievements of the ruling NPP, and what he intended doing with oil funds when given the mandate to rule.
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