Communications Director of the Nana Addo campaign team for Election 2008, Dr Arthur Kennedy says the New Patriotic Party should look out for competence in the selection of a chairman for the party. According to the former presidential aspirant and author of the yet-to-be-launched book (locally) Chasing the Elephant into the Bush: The Politics of Complacency, the party is faced with the temptation to choose its leaders based on factions. The book, a critique of the NPP’s Election 2008 campaign has ruffled a few feathers in the party and generated intense hatred for him in some quarters. Asked if he believed his book had somewhat impacted on the party positively, Dr Kennedy responded “unfortunately not.” “I think that there are still the divisions that plagued us. I think there is still too much sycophancy. I think that we are too focused on loyalty rather than competence and I’m concerned about that. I think that the people of Ghana are paying the price of some of our complacency and negligence during the last elections because I believe that we should be in government,” he told Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, host of the show. “And I think that if we do not take heed and draw the right lessons from our defeat…” he stated, adding that the NPP has been a very confident party in opposition. “I frankly have never seen a defeated party being more confident than the NPP. And I think that confidence is misplaced…We have a very good chance of returning to power but we must work for it,” he indicated. Dr Kennedy said it’s time the NPP looked at strengthening the bond between its members as the party gears towards winning the next ballot. “We need to rebuild our party on the ground, we need to bring energy back, we need to go back to our core principles, rediscover our commitment to fighting corruption, to smaller government, to decentralization and we need to find our voice.” The medical doctor described as “sad commentary” suggestion that ex-President Rawlings a stronger critic of government than the opposition NPP which is expected to whip the ruling government in line. The party should be thinking of constructive alternatives and not bask in the public criticism launched by the former president against his own party. Dr Kennedy will not be able to attend the NPP’s national delegates conference which comes off on 27 February 2010 because it would affect his flight schedule, which according to him, has changed a few times already due to the rescheduling of the party’s congress. He will launch his book next Tuesday, at the Teachers Hall, Accra. Listen to excerpts of the interview in the attached audio Story by Fiifi Koomson/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana