Where Is Alan Cash?

Mr. Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanten (popularly called Alan Cash), undoubtedly is one ebullient personality who has excited the country�s political environment in the past five years. His testing of the political waters in the camp of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on two major occasions when he attempted to get elected as flag bearer for the party and the backlash he received all belong to history. The fallout of his two major bold attempts to become the presidential candidate of the NPP will without any stretch of doubt reinforce his belief that Ghanaian politics is not a bed of roses. The intrigues, name-calling, mudslinging, fabrications that scuttled his efforts to become the flag bearer of the NPP will indeed be fresh in his memory. Prior to the election of the NPP flag bearer for the 2008 presidential elections, 16 other people lined up against him since he posed the greatest threat to their ambitions. The writer sincerely believes that majority of the candidates knew they could not win the election, but decided to join the lot to split votes to perhaps prevent Alan Cash from emerging as the winner. What even angered his opponents was the perceived support they claim was being given to him by former President, John Agyekum Kufuor. The tag of President Kufuor, which was placed around the neck of the then Minister of Trade and Industry in the NPP government, was once again used by these former presidential aspirants, majority of whom rallied behind Nana Akuffo-Addo when the party organised its presidential primary in 2010. The question is; did the perceived Kufuor factor, under any circumstance, affect the chances of Alan Cash to win the NPP primary? Again, was it the issue that he was a young man and for which the old guards in the party considered highly since there were more aged and experienced politicians before him? The writer is of the opinion that former President Kufuor might have come to terms with the realities in world politics and perhaps was of the view that there should be a generational change of leadership in the party. In other words, he might have been convinced that those who belonged to his stock should do the honourable thing to back away from front-line activities in the party, especially becoming its flag bearer and hand over such positions to the younger generation. In fact, the majority of former President Kufuor�s Ministers of State were of his generation whose limbs had grown weaker through old age and other vicissitudes of life. Is ex-President Kufour�s prescription right or wrong? The writer leaves that to the judgment of the public, but one thing is certainly clear, that judging from the election of young leaders in the United States of America, Russia and United Kingdom and the Spring revolution sweeping across the Arab world, one would not be far from right by saying that ex-president Kufour�s vision on the subject transcended those of his generation in the party. Former President Kufuor has not come out to either confirm or deny his support for the former Ambassador to the United States; all that had come to the public domain had been pure and simple speculation. Alan Cash had 19,000 votes plus in the last NPP presidential primary and since then has gone into hibernation. What has actually accounted for his silence, since he is one person who has charisma, charm and brings color and excitement to politics? Is it also that he has been marginalised because others consider the votes that he got as insignificant? Again, why is it that Alan Cash has not been given any prominent role to play in the party�s bid to win the 2012 presidential poll? The fact remains that Alan Cash has marketed himself very well for the NPP judging from his well-cultured demeanour which endears him to even people of other political persuasions. Politics is a game of numbers for which the NPP should not think that votes secured by Mr. Kyeremanten in the polls was marginal as that posture will rather encourage apathy among his supporters. Whether the party likes it or not, Alan Cash remains one of the most popular politicians in the NPP who cannot be sidelined since in doing so, his supporters may advise themselves in the 2012 presidential election. The seeming bitterness among Alan�s supporters which this writer has seen first hand, especially with regard to the perceived marginalisation of Mr. Kyeremanteng, if not addressed will degenerate into something else which will affect the chances of the NPP to wrest political power from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).