Chasing the Elephant into the Bush: The Politics of Complacency
Dr. Arthur Kobina Kennedy is a Family Physician who has been involved Ghanaian politics for most of the last 25 years. In 1982, he led protests against the murder of three High Court judges and was dismissed by workers acting on the instructions of the government.He was the President of the National Union of Ghana Students from 1983 to 1985 and led protests against the PNDC dictatorship led by former President Rawlings in the 1980's. For his efforts, he was declared wanted by the military dictatorship for his alleged involvement in coups and had to be in exile both in 1983 and 1987. Both times, he was recognized by the United Nations as a refugee.In 2008, he was an unsuccessful Presidential candidate for the nomination of the New Patriotic Party for the Presidency. He was named the Chairman of the Communication Committee of the NPP during the 2008 Presidential and Parliamentary campaigns, which have been described as the closest elections in Africa's history. During the campaign, he was the major speechwriter for the NPP Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo and a major participant in many key events in the campaign. He travelled around the country extensively and interacted with many Ghanaians.From this vantage point, Dr Kennedy takes readers behind the curtains into key meetings where decisions were made. He candidly discusses the roles of the key figures in the campaign and points out where mistakes were made. Towards the end, he offers suggestions on how the NPP can return to power in 2012.Throughout his career, Dr Kennedy has written frequently on Ghana and Africa's problems.