Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, running mate of the National Democratic Congress
Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the running mate of the National Democratic Congress has said that she was left bemused by reactions to her foreword of Professor’s Kwamena Ahwoi’s controversial ‘Working with Rawlings’ book.
The renowned educationist was criticized by leading figures of the NDC including Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu for not doing due diligence in her editing of the book.
Amidu slammed Professor Opoku-Agyemang for doing a shoddy job and breaching standard scholarly protocols by playing the combined roles of editor and reviewer.
“In this instance, the writer of the foreword is marketing the book with her credentials of PhD/FGA and has an ethical obligation to the public for integrity and truth in what she says with her credentials in the foreword”.
“Did the writer of the foreword play any significant role as an editor, a reviewer, and an institutional colleague of the primary author in his narratives and writing or authoring of the book such that by the ethics of scholarly and professional writing she or he should not ethically have written the foreword to the book? Did she or he conceal those facts which make for an accountable and transparent ethical foreword writing in her foreword to the book?” he quizzed.
Speaking on the issue for the first time in a Citi TV interview, Professor Opoku-Agyemang said she was shocked by the response to the book.
She then clarified the difference between critiquing a book and writing the foreword for a piece.
“This is not the first forward I have ever written in my life but this is the foreword that has received such reaction.”
“A foreword is not a critique. It is not an introduction. It is not an analysis. When you are doing those kinds of assignments there are different ways you go about them,” she said.
“The foreword simply introduces the essence of the book,” Prof. Opoku-Agyemang explained further.
