Prof Gyampo slam Prof. Ahwoi over ‘Working With Rawlings’ book

By Justice Dzido On Aug 10, 2020

Political Scientist with the University of Ghana Professor Ransford Gyampo has taken on Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi over the latter’s recent book titled, ‘Working With Rawlings.’

According to him, publication of the book about four months into a crucial presidential and parliamentary election is a misjudgment and a display of a bad sense of timing.

Professor Kwamena Ahwoi on Thursday, July 30, 2020, launched his book which extensively presents insights about his working relationship with former President Jerry John Rawlings.

But Prof Gyampo considers the timing as inappropriate or a ploy to scuttle the chance of the NDC winning the election so that it can start afresh.

“…. to my mind, politically, the timing for the release of the book, is quite problematic. Indeed, publishing this book with many controversial contents, about four months to an election that promises to be keenly competitive, is either a fundamental mis-judgment and a display of weak sense of timing, or a shadow of an agenda to scuttle a chance, and start afresh with a preference,” he wrote on facebook.

Already, the former President, Rawlings has discredited the claims in the book, emphasizing that Ahwoi’s claim is borne out of a desire to control the party.

A number of NDC loyalists, including former Deputy Education Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, former Deputy Communications Minister, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, former Communications Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah and Chairman of the Volta Regional Council of Elders for the NDC, Dan Abodakpi have all issued disclaimers to what was captured about them in the book.

Read the full post below:

Now I have perused the book. This is my judgement:

The author displayed high sense of scholarship in documenting his perspectival truths about his working with Jerry Rawlings. Most of the contents are already known, as they are actually documented already in great detail by other previous works.

This book attempts a great summary of some core issues of politics in Ghana under Rawlings, in a manner that makes it reader-friendly. Given that it was released at a time we are preparing for elections, author may profit a lot from sales, as the book speaks about a man whose role in the lead up to the coming elections, could help or hurt the two main political parties.

But to my mind, politically, the timing for the release of the book, is quite problematic. Indeed, publishing this book with many controversial contents, about four months to an election that promises to be keenly competitive, is either a fundamental mis-judgment and a display of weak sense of timing, or a shadow of an agenda to scuttle a chance, and start afresh with a preference.

It must also be noted that, foreword writers aren’t necessarily subscribers of the views of authors. You can simply tell this by reading the content of the foreword. I have read the foreword as an academic, and I am still wondering why and how anyone who knows what forewords are, will have qualms about the author.

The author of the foreword of this book is a big deal to only those who either do not know the purpose of a foreword, or have simply not read what is contained in that section. In academia,,the fact that one writes a foreword of a book,,doesn’t make the author guilty of the content of the book, simplicita.