<<Print>>

Has it ever occurred to you that the title of Arthur K�s book, �Chasing The Elephant Into The Bush�, is ambiguous? It is very okay for those under the Umbrella, but certainly not for those riding on the Elephant. Was the Elephant chased from the bush? Was it chased into the bush? Did it run from the bush? Or did it run into the bush? These and more were the questions that dangled in my brain when I finished reading Arthur K�s book. Not to risk boring you with semantics, I will stick to only one question: Was the Elephant chased from the bush or chased into the bush? The Elephant, we all agree, was chased by Ghanaians at the December 2008 polls. The bone of contention now is whether it was chased into the bush or chased from the bush. It is without disputation that the Elephant�s natural habitat is the bush. There is a school of thought that contends the Elephant was chased into the bush and not from the bush. It argues that the Elephant came to town destroying everything in sight and had to be sent back to its natural habitation, the bush. If this theory is to be supported, then one can conveniently say the Elephant�s natural habitat in Asomdwekrom�s politics is in opposition, where it is now. There is another school of thought that argues otherwise, saying the Elephant was rather chased from the bush. It argues the Elephant was comfortably living in its natural habitation, taking very good care of its children before it was chased to an unfamiliar environment. If this theory too is to be supported, then one can conveniently say the Elephant�s perverted habitation in Asomdwekrom�s politics is in opposition, where it is now. That is to say the Elephant does not belong where it is now. It is understandable if Akatamansonians support the former because they believe nothing good was achieved during the Elephant�s 8-year rule. Anytime they are reminded of their numerous unfulfilled promises, �we met a raped ecomini� is their mantra. It is equally understandable if those riding on the Elephant support the latter, because they believe the Elephant�s 8-year reign under the guidance of the Gentle Giant was the best thing to have happened to Ghanaians since the Overthrow of Ghana�s first President, Dr. Kwame Okro. They do not hesitate to mention the human-centred policies such as the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the Free Maternal Care Programme and the School Feeding Programme introduced by the Gentle Giant. But for someone who claims to be a dyed-in-the-wool Kukrudian to say the Elephant was chased into the bush, eyebrows will definitely be raised. I will give Arthur K the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he did not think it through critically before choosing that title. Perhaps he did, but thought it was not so important a matter. Whatever his reason, I doubt if his critics would be that charitable. Those who doubted his commitment to the party after the publication of his �damning� book might even use it as a reason to buttress their point. From where I stand, I do not reckon any Kukrudian with the brain tightly screwed to the head would call Dr. Kennedy a pleasant person- politically, I mean. Calling him a traitor might be too harsh and uncharitable. But, certainly, those who called him �political bastard� could not have described him better. For sure, that was why they forcibly pushed that bitter pill down his throat at the recent Osono parliamentary primaries in the Abura-Kwaman Constituency. Do not be deceived by the public show of camaraderie from some leading Kukrudians towards him. The simple truth is that Arthur K is now, and will forever be, a persona non grata in the Elephant family. Do you remember this former Akatamanso General Secretary? Ooh, what is the name? Yes, you remember Dr. Josiah Aryeh, don�t you? He moved from being the Umbrella�s pet to a persona non grata in a heartbeat. He was a perfect politician to many Akatamansonians until a bribery allegation sent him to Asomdwekrom�s political Siberia. If a mere allegation could send Dr. Aryeh into the political wilderness, then you can only imagine Arthur K.�s fate in the Kukrudu family. Indeed, I disagree with Arthur K.�s assertion that the Elephant was chased into the bush. I rather believe the Elephant was chased from the bush. The NHIS is in shambles because the Elephant is wandering in the political wilderness. Buying of pampers, hampers and the splashing of gargantuan cowries to cronies in the name of judgment debts have become possible because we have a bunch of greedy bastards at the helm of affairs. Indeed, the cry of the masses is that the Umbrella�s performance under the leadership of Mr. Slow-But-Sure is nothing but total disaster. One, therefore, cannot help but agree that the Elephant would sooner than later find its way to its natural habitat, the bush. But the question is; how soon? Is it going to be January 7, 2013, four years later or even more? Time will definitely tell us the answer!