Dr. Arthur Kennedy, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) says he will stand as a Parliamentary candidate in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese constituency of the Central Region come election 2012. He said this will enable him work more with the grassroots who do most of the work in getting votes for the party. He added that there is the need for the party to improve the quality of its parliamentary candidates by encouraging the “big names” in the party consider running as parliamentary candidates. Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Dr. Arthur Kennedy noted that “if after the 2007 primaries, ten of the seventeen aspirants had contested as parliamentary candidates and won, Nana Addo would have been President.” On his relationship with the party after the release of his controversial book "Chasing The Elephant Into The Bush: Politics of Complacency", he disclosed that he is very much involved in the campaigns of the party and had had a very constructive meeting with Nana Akufo-Addo about their campaign. Dr. Arthur Kennedy’s book presents a vivid image of the party dealings prior to the election and even in the course of the election. He received a lot of criticism from the party hierarchy some of who condemned him for 'washing the party's linen in public. He said about 90% of the things he knew was not in his book but believes the little he wrote has helped his party. Dr Arthur Kennedy said he disagrees with most of the things the Kufour administration did. He thinks President Kufuor should not have honoured himself but rather deserves an honour by the state. He added he thinks it was not the best time to build the Presidential Palace and the purchase if the presidential jets. “I don’t think it was the best time to build a Presidential Palace and I believe that it was not the best time to acquire the planes. I respectfully disagree”. He was however quick to add that Kufuor’s administration did well especially in healthcare by instituting the National Health Insurance Scheme. “Over all the Kufuor administration‘s performance was teller, it was the best performance in a generation. The only administration that one can conceivably think of is that of the Nkrumah administration”. On the budget, Dr. Arthur Kennedy said “the NDC is tax happy and going against the fundamental law of economics. Higher taxes do not lead to growth”. He said Ghana needs better tax collection by ensuring that those who do not pay their taxes pay. “When we have a tax professor as President, he should be looking at how to get more people paying taxes rather than get the few people pay more”. He said he is very astonished that President Mills is complaining of politics of insults when he has rewarded those who engaged in it during the 2008 election campaign with ministerial appointments. He thinks the President should practice what he preaches. “The President is right to worry about the insults in our culture but I think charity begins at home and actions speak louder than words” He however believes that the Presidents call is well placed. Dr. Arthur Kennedy is now a lecturer at the University of Cape Coast Medical School. Story by: Adwoa Gyasiwaa/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana