My book is about hope

My book is about hope
February 23, 2010
Accra, Feb. 23 GNA - Dr. Arthur Kobina Kennedy, author of "Chasing the elephant into the bush", on Tuesday described his piece of critique as a hope chest for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and not a catalogue of fear and despair.

He said the book was not about how the NPP lost but it is about the state of our nation and the campaigns of political parties and how institutions like the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) and Electoral Commission (EC) could perform better.

Dr. Kennedy, former Communication Director for Nana Akuffo Addo 2008 election campaign, was speaking at the launch of his book which had generated a controversy on the country's political landscape especially, among the NPP.

The colourful event attracted some NPP top functionaries and media practitioners including Mr. Peter Mac Menu, National Chairman of the NPP, Professor Frimpong Boateng, former Presidential aspirant of the NPP, Mr Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo, General Manager in-Charge of Newspapers, Graphic Communications Group, and Mr. Ben Epson, Managing Editor of the Daily Dispatch.

Dr. Kennedy said the release of the international edition of his book has unleashed on the book and himself a coordinated and destructive assault of unprecedented proportions.

He said there is the real danger that his book would be remembered more for the issues around it than the issues inside it.

According to Dr Kennedy, he had been castigated for being ungrateful and disloyal whiles others have pronounced with certainty that the book was a long political suicide note.

"The sad fact is that most of those doing this had not taken the trouble to read the book", he said.

Dr. Kennedy said throughout the country's history, there has been a dearth of books about our politics and governance.

He said for about half-a-century now we still lack detailed information on how Nkrumah made the decision on building Akosombo Dam verses four smaller dams.

There is no detailed knowledge of the advice received by Busia before the launch of the rural development programme.

He said there was the need to document and analyze events and issues if the country was to become the nation our founders meant it to be.

"I am convinced that all who practice or study politics not just in the NPP but also in all the other parties can learn from this account. And so can historians and those interested in how organizations function in our environment" he added.

Dr. Kennedy also admitted that it was impossible to write so much about a subject as passionate as politics without inflicting actual or perceived pain to personalities.

"Therefore I regret any perceived offence. However, I stand firmly behind this work, mistakes and all" he said.

Mr. Boadu Ayerboafo who launched the book said democracy was about tolerance for each others view.

He said when people are able to accept criticism, it made them better persons and also deepened the democratic process.

Mr. Peter Mac Menu, National Chairman of the NPP, also reiterated the call for people to accept criticisms in good faith by tolerating each others' views in order to build a democratic culture in the party.

He said although he disagrees with the author on the title of the book, it was his democratic right to write the book.

Professor Frimpong Boateng, former Presidential aspirant of the NPP, and Chairman for the occasion, said the Dankwa-Busia tradition was a group that believed in tolerance.

He said the fight ahead of the party was how to win back the confidence of the people in order to return the party to power in 2012.

"Our struggle should not only be for capturing power but how to be able to alleviate the mass our people from the poverty and disease that they find themselves in", he added.

GNA