Ghanaian celebrities who endorsed either the New Patriotic Party (NPP) or the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the December 7 polls seem to have united and are championing the common good of the showbiz industry barely a week after the polls.
Speaking on Peace FM�s �Entertainment Review� last Saturday, Mark Okraku Mantey, leader of Creative Arts for Change, the umbrella body of celebrities that endorsed the NPP presidential candidate, Nana Akufo Addo, made it clear that the chief priority of his group was to help the industry and not to pursue an NPP agenda per say.
He said the fact that Nana Addo and the NPP did not win the election did not mean the priority of the group should be forsaken.
�There was the need for a pressure group so we decided that for starters, those who have a passion for Nana Akufo Addo�s policy, we would start from that end�.and that was why the name was not Creative Arts for Akufo Addo but Creative Arts for Change.
The �change� aspect of our name has a purpose and now that the elections are over, and there is a new government�.the whole idea was to have supported Akufo Addo for a change but after Akufo Addo and John Mahama politics, the president we have is the one we would take our pressure to,� Okraku Mantey explained.
Mr. Okraku Mantey�s explanation was warmly embraced by musician Rex Omar, who had openly endorsed the candidature of the National Democratic Congress (NDC�s) John Mahama.
Both Mr Omar and Mr Okraku Mantey agreed that as professionals in show business, there was the need to first seek the interest of their industry before their political interests.
Rex for instance said his decision to endorse the NDC was based on conviction and his belief in the leadership of John Mahama.
He said that however did not mean he would turn a blind eye when the NDC-led government did something untoward.
Singing from the same hymn book, the two celebrities explained the need for political parties to have a creative arts wing that would add some professional touch to their campaign adverts and jingles.
They also explained how as celebrities, their association with political parties could increase votes for the parties.
The two also agreed that the phenomenon of celebrities endorsing political parties had given the industry some attention and drawn the attention of policymakers and implementers to the plight of the showbiz industry.
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