Shoe Shine Boys Threaten NPP

A cross section of shoe shine boys in the Accra metropolis interviewed have declared their intent to vote massively against the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2004 general elections.

According to the boys, who voted for the ruling party at the 2000 elections, the promise then presidential candidate and now President J. A. Kufuor made to them when he was vying for the presidency that he would create jobs within one year for them has turned out to be more of a campaign talk.

A survey conducted among 50 shoe shine boys by the Gye Nyame Concord in various parts of Accra showed a strong indication of these disappointed unemployed youth towards the Kufuor administration and a looming threat of NPP losing a chunk of its votes come the 2004 elections, unless steps are taken to reverse this trend.

It will be recalled that many of these shoe shine boys laid down their tools immediately after the 2000 general elections in anticipation of instant acquisition of jobs, which never materialized.

The ruling party also ensured that it garnered full support from the boys in the last electiosn. Few weeks before the 2000 general elections, Mrs. Gloria Akufo, Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, who was then an Accra legal practioner and excutive member of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), was basically the liason between the shoe shine boys and the NPP.

She was instrumental in bussing the shoe shine boys to thier constituencies, after securing funds with a cup in hand from individual lawyers for the shoe shine boys to travel and vote at thier various constinencies against the then ruling NDC.

But this time, Kwame Owusu, who plies his trade at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and admits that he recieved pocket money and travel expenses to return home to vote at the last elections said he would not vote for the NPP again.

“Wofa adaadaa yen” (Uncle has deceived us), he told this reporter in an interview, adding that he would not vote at all since he is disillusioned with the other parties as well.

He said prior to voting in the 2000 elections, the NPP convinced most of them to travel back home to Kumasi and other areas where majority hail from to vote for them with the conviction that they would be properly employed when the NPP won power.

Samuel Ansong, who claims to be a senior secondary school graduate, was very blunt: “As for these people, they will be jailed for 15 years and 16 years and not 4 or 2 ? years” referring to how former government official under the NDC regime have been jailed for various offences.

He cautioned all serving government officials to be mindful of the fact that posterity will judge them the same way they judge others today, adding that “ the stick used to hit Takyi will be the same stick to be used for Baah”.

Steven Gyamfi, who could not vote in the last elections because he was not 18 years yet, said he does not think he would vote for any party next year.

According to him “all politicians are the same. They make all sort of promises when they need your vote which in fact are all lies”.

Others, like Mark Asante of Dansoman, however held different opinions. They felt it was too early to start blaming the NPP government. For them President Kufuor must be given ample time to fulfil his promises after almost 20 years of P (NDC) “misrule”.

A former student of Kumasi High School, Nana Yaw Akrofi, was also very optimistic. “If Ghanaians had patience for NDC for almost 20 years, then what is three years?”, he asked

He was hopeful that the NPP would transform the economy for many people, including shoeshine boys, to acquire jobs.