Is Andy Dosty real in his endorsement of Nana Addo?

Are you part of the over seventy something percent of creative arts practitioners who have endorsed New Patriotic Party (NPP) Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo Addo?

According to film maker Socrate Safo, a survey (I am not sure who commissioned it, or who conducted the research) reveals an overwhelming majority of industry people want change. I can’t challenge him, and if the many celebrity visits to the residence of the NPP flagbearer is anything to go by, then he may have a point.

Those who want to be scientific can easily dismiss his claim, but I know when it comes to celebrities, or creative arts practitioners, whose core duty is to entertain, educate and inform through creative products, it becomes quite dicey to put their political preferences out there, especially in our part of the world.

So I really find it daring for any such person to openly declare their political stance. And I respect such people. And I won’t buy the propaganda out there that practitioners endorsing the NPP candidate are those whose relevance in the industry have waned.

Agya Koo, Lucky Mensah, Cwesi Oteng, Wisa Greid, Ruff N Smooth, Praye, Bibi Bright, Matilda Asare, Socrate Safo, Dada KD, Fred Kyei Mensah, Barima Sidney, A-Plus and Willi Roi are among the many creative artistes who have pledged their support for Nana Addo.

Andy Dosty’s Justification for Endorsement The latest to join the endorsement train is Multimedia Broadcasting Group presenter and DJ, Andy Dosty.

The presenter, last week also called on the NPP flagbearer at his Nima residence. I am not too sure if I have to be happy for Andy or the flagbearer. Whatever it is, politics is about numbers and just like Christianity, heaven rejoices when a soul is won for Christ!

I am however intrigued, intrigued by the reasons that drive our creative artistes to endorse political parties. When Agya Koo, A Plus, Cwesi Oteng, for example, pledged their support, they cited reasons I found tenable. Their reasons bothered on the economic situations, their plight and corruption.

This is where I will commend Socrate Safo for championing the industry agenda in all his doings for the NPP. And for Andy Dosty? According to a Daily Guide report, published on Peacefmonline, Andy endorsed the candidate because he felt offended the Vice president’s alleged mockery of short men.

“Andy Dosty expressed very strong misgivings about Amissah-Arthur’s derogatory statement. The radio presenter made it a major topic on his programme and had several listeners of the show calling in or sending messages to condemn Amissah-Arthur’s apparent mockery of short persons.

“Andy Dosty signed out of his Music Box Mid-Morning Show on Hitz FM on Tuesday, saying, ‘I endorse Nana Akufo Addo’ after he had stated his disappointment at the reports.”

Really? Call this the last straw, or the housefly that capitalized on that strong wind to visit the in-law.

I wasn’t at the meeting between Andy Dosty and Nana Addo, but I would be surprised if he told the man he felt insulted by the Veep’s short-men comment, and “Nana, knowing that you and I are short, I will prefer to vote for you instead” LOL.

What’s Andy’s Message? I will be very much surprised also if that was his message. In Andy’s social media posts, he has activated hashtags with the “shortman” theme: #Shortmen4Nana, #ShortMenRising, #ShortMan4President.

Isn’t he perpetuating what we blame career politicians of doing? How does his campaign make him any different from the supposed gaff by the Vice President?

If celebrities carry weight, and have the power, prowess and penchant to make their followers buy into what they sell, I doubt discerning followers of Andy Dosty will buy the message he is selling. And are the NPP party communicators okay with Andy’s digression from their core messages. The propagandists will fall for it, though. But as a stalwart in the radio and music industry in Ghana, he should be championing something relevant to the industry. He should be helping the growth of the industry with his decades of being a model of excellence.

Ethical Concerns As media consumer, I felt somehow uncomfortable with his on air endorsement. It isn’t out of place to have media houses, journalists and presenters endorse political parties or candidates. When such is done, it is done collectively; it becomes official. The lineages of presenters like Abeiku Santana of Okay FM and Ghana’s Most Beautiful host Gideon Aryeequaye are well known. But I doubt, if they use their programmes to carry their political agenda.andy-dosty

And the political affiliation of Andy Dosty’s Manager at Hitz FM is also public. But the ethical Mark Okraku Mantey won’t mix politics with his radio job. I will be surprised if Andy Dosty is not suspended by Multimedia (that’s if he did not have their blessings) unless he has already planned to jump the boat.

I will congratulate him though for declaring his stance, and as he rightly puts it in his Facebook post last Sunday: “The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of national crisis. If you keep your faith, you keep your trust; you keep the right attitude…”