The Leper Theory!

My compatriots and I wait with bated breath for the Akatamanso presidential primaries slated for July 8-10. It promises to be a political thriller. I therefore advise that you book an early ticket if you are an Akatamansonian. As for me, I�ve bought a miniature battery radio and I advise all those outside the eagle-headed Umbrella to follow suit because the inconsistent Electricity Company of Asomdwekrom (ECA) cannot be trusted to deliver power when we need it most. Time and again I�ve been advised by my Akatamanso friends to mind my own business and stop poking my nose into their party�s affairs. But what they do not know is that I like dancing and wouldn�t hesitate to exhibit my dancing skills when a melodious tune is being dished out. And what better time to exhibit those skills than when a skilful drummer like Mrs. Nana Konadu Agyemang Boom is on the drum. Evidence of her skills in drumming is easily found in the picking of forms and the subsequent launch of her campaign to contest the President for the Zu-za flagbearership slot. The rhythm was so melodious that the whole government machinery was grounded, as the President, his Vice, ministers and other appointees exhibited beautiful dance steps to match the rhythm. Even those who abhorred dancing could not resist tapping their feet. Such was the appeal of the tune she dished out. At the launch, her husband, Dr. Jerry Boom, made it clear that he did not approve of the current driver of the state vehicle, which was likened to a Yutong bus. As such, he called on the delegates to change the driver lest he plunges the bus into a ditch. In a swift rebuttal the following day, Vice President Armajarro Mahama said previous drivers of the bus, who had difficulties, were not changed, but were rather encouraged by the passengers to avoid pot-holes and gullies. However, what he failed to add was the fact that those drivers were not delusional like the current one. The current driver, we are told, sees human beings legs up and heads down. And we all know too well the consequences of allowing such a driver to continue manning the wheel, don�t we? At the launch of Agya Ofuntuo�s campaign, I saw faces which had been missing on the political scene for close to a decade. I yawned when I saw Goosie Tanoh rooting for the President and wondered whether he was the same man who abandoned the Umbrella after the Swedru Declaration. I failed to catch his actions until it dawned on me that he was rooting for the most powerful man on the land today. It is pretty obvious he wants to join in the sipping of �nkwande-e wa�, which makes it easy for one to understand Dr. Boom�s lamentations about �fighting enemies and traitors�. Agya Ofuntuo says his campaign would be devoid of fabrications, insults and mudslinging. But he deliberately failed to add that his attack-dogs and foul-mouthed appointees would do that for him. Do not forget he is that special �Asomdwehene� who speaks no evil, sees no evil and hears no evil. I do not believe in Dr. Boom�s kind of justice; but I do understand him very well. After calling Kukrudians �thieves� and �nation-wreckers�, it is only reasonable that he feels very ashamed that not a single �thief� has been nailed since Agya Ofuntuo took office. His clamour for justice is not for egotistical reasons, but to wipe out the shame staring him and his party in the face. I say and would say repeatedly; winning is not always the objective of people who contest elections. Some contest elections knowing very well that victory is an impossibility. I can bet my last pesewa that Mrs. Boom is one of such. She is contesting not because she wants to win, but because she wants to spoil the cocktail party for Agya Ofuntuo in 2012. The Rawlingses are using what I refer to as �the leper theory�. It tells us that once upon a time, a leper went to buy Hausa koko. He was one of the early birds but was discriminated against by the koko seller because of his ailment. All his protestations fell on deaf ears. In his desperation, he put his leprosy-infested hands into the hot koko, stirred and said: �If I won�t get this koko, then no one else will; so I�ve damaged the koko.� Surprised and disappointed, the other customers walked away, leaving the koko seller with her leprosy-infected koko. It is the same card the Rawlingses are playing here. Having been betrayed and humiliated by people he fed and nourished, he and his wife are now using the leper theory to soil Agya Ofuntuo�s �koko�. And believe me or don�t, it is a very potent theory. Mr. and Mrs. Boom know that defeat at the upcoming Zu-za primaries in Sunyani is a foregone conclusion. Why then is the wife still bent on contesting, if not to spoil the bash for Agya Ofuntuo? The evidence is in what Dr. Boom said at his wife�s campaign launch: �They can manipulate and win in Sunyani, but we shall lose in 2012.� The facts have been laid bare and I say Dr. Boom and his wife are using their leprosy-infested hands to contaminate Atta Cash�s delicious soup. Or you say �wey� thing?