Dr. Arthur Kennedy is not a Member of NPP-USA

Some sections of the Ghanaian media have made it their practice (without much reflection) to refer to Dr. Arthur Kennedy as a "Leading Member of the NPP" each time he resumes his personal and selfish agenda to destroy the NPP. The media probably believes that such destructive comments must carry considerable weight if they originate from a "Leading Member of the NPP." NPP-USA urges the media to stop awarding such an important label to Dr. Arthur Kennedy because it is not true, and he does not deserve it.

The New Patriotic Party Branch in the USA (NPP-USA), would like to state categorically, that Dr. Arthur Kennedy is NOT a member of NPP-USA. Yes, he lives in the US, but he does not belong to any of the chapters. He does not play any role in the Branch, let alone a leading role. The Branch does not share his views on the party, and in fact vehemently condemns his vicious but futile mission to destroy the New Patriotic Party.

To understand Dr. Arthur Kennedy's desperation and what inspires his political suicide crusade, a brief historic context might be helpful. During his hey days as NUGS president, the then student Arthur Kennedy had a low regard for Jerry John Rawlings' qualification to lead Ghana. That was the root of Arthur Kennedy's thinly-veiled ambition: if Rawlings could rule Ghana, then he Arthur Kennedy could and should also be president someday. Pursuant to this aspiration, he figured out that the only option besides Rawlings' NDC, which he dreaded, was to join the Chicago Chapter of NPP-USA. With no record of achievement or active participation in the chapter, he quickly declared his candidacy for the NPP primaries in 2008. Not surprisingly, he received only one vote. Since then, Arthur K has not been involved in NPP-USA.

But Arthur K received a break. Acting on his promise to involve all the primary candidates in his 2008 presidential campaign, Nana Akufo-Addo made Arthur K the campaign's communication director, but he and his outfit did little or nothing to debunk a barrage of lies about, and character assassinations of the NPP candidate by the NDC. In fact, many people attribute the NPP's 2008 loss partly to the failure to effectively debunk the lies spewed about our candidate. Simply put, Arthur K's communication outfit failed at its responsibilities.

However, seeking to shield himself from blame, and to project himself as the only "holy" member of the 2008 campaign team, Arthur K went on to author the controversial book "Chasing the Elephant into The Bush." Presumably, the book was his way of saying he was politically smart, and of positioning himself as a prime candidate for the 2012 primaries.

The book was not enough though, he was told. Starting at the local level by becoming a Member of Parliament would serve him better than a book that rubbed many people the wrong way. For the first time, Arthur K listened to advice and contested the NPP's parliamentary primaries in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese constituency. There again he lost miserably, underscoring even to himself that his political career was headed nowhere.

Failure is a very wicked monster. How can one hope to be president but cannot even earn the votes of his own hometown? Arthur K saw what happened to Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore when he failed to win his own state of Tennessee in the 2000 general elections in the United States. It was over for Gore then, and it was over for Arthur K after Abura Asebu Kwamankese, which he perfectly knew. Oh but here again, it was not his fault: had the party establishment, headed by Nana Akufo-Addo, stood by him and supported him, he would have won. But since they didn't support him, then the least they can do is kick out Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and make him, Arthur Kennedy, the running mate of Nana Akufo-Addo for the 2012 election. That would be a sure path to the presidency.

Nana Akufo-Addo, however, having learned his lessons from the betrayal by Arthur K in the aftermath of the 2008 elections, would not consider that notion. So persistent was Arthur K's lobbying that at some point, the presidential candidate had to stop picking up his phone calls. And there began the disgruntled employee syndrome. Arthur K decided that if he couldn't have it (and with Dr. Bawumia having all but secured the successor position to Nana Akufo-Addo), then it was time to unleash his venom to spoil it all for the party.

We must concede, though, that both the United States where he lives, and Ghana where he is from, respect the right to free speech. As such Arthur K has every right to spew his venom, and appoint any target he chooses for that venom. Where NPP-USA has a problem is that the Ghanaian media keeps referring to him as a so-called "leading member of the NPP", and some even believe he is a member of NPP-USA. For the record, Arthur Kennedy is currently not a member of NPP-USA, and has not been for a long time. And frankly, if he ever applied for membership of NPP-USA, his application would definitely be denied because the Branch sees him as the editor-in-chief of NDC's rented press.

In a similar vein, membership of NPP in Ghana is not indefinite, and must be renewed periodically. It is unclear if Arthur K's membership of NPP is still active, nor would his application for renewal be approved. He is a disgraced former member of the NPP whose documented act of treason has completely scuttled his own political ambitions. All he is reduced to is a hopeless, bitter, and depressed former presidential aspirant whose only hope of remaining politically relevant is to throw darts at the party of which he was once a member.

NPP-USA thus calls on all sections of the Ghanaian media to view Dr. Arthur Kennedy as such, and stop labeling him as a "leading member of the NPP."

Public Relations Committee

NPP-USA