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The General Secretary of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has described as laughable, criticism of his party�s recently launched Heroes Fund by Dr. Arthur Kennedy, a senior member of the opposition New Patriotic Party. The party has explained that the �Heroes' Fund� is to assist supporters and loyalists who have encountered misfortunes, incapacitation or other forms of deprivations in the course of their service to the NDC. It would also cater for the needs of dependants of persons who have lost their lives while working in the interest of the NDC as well as non-members of the party in similar situations. However, in an article posted on citifmonline.com, Dr Kennedy argues that the Fund would rather help to embolden those who believe in entrenching violence in Ghana�s politics. He faulted the NDC for not involving the law enforcement agencies if they believed they had been at the receiving end of electoral violence, instead instituting a fund for those who perpetrate violence. Speaking to Citi News, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah insisted the former NPP presidential aspirant�s comments should not be taken seriously. "It is something that I will laugh about. I am not sure that he means what he is saying so I will not take him serious. There are people who have been amputated because of accidents they suffered in the course of the campaign and several other injuries. There are others too who have been attacked violently whiles they were performing their legitimate role as polling agents for the party. So I want to think that people like Dr. Arthur Kennedy should rather contribute to the fund because we are trying to heal the wounds they have created. So it doesn�t lie in his mouth to talk the way he is talking� he submitted. According to Mr. Asiedu Nketia, Dr. Arthur Kennedy has no moral right to question the propriety of the fund. �We know who Dr. Arthur Kennedy is and we think that he should do introspection about his leadership role in the country and he will understand why it is becoming difficult for him to win any elections in this country. He was a NUGS President and he led the student body of Ghana into a demonstration which led to the closure of the country�s Universities for one year. �Believing in the course in which he led the student body into, I would have thought that he will be the first person to remain in the country and also suffer the same punishment that he led the student body into, by wasting one year of the students� academic life. What did Arthur Kennedy do? He left the country to continue his education whiles all the followers were here suffering. Now he returns with a chain of degrees and wants to tell Ghanaians to return him back into a leadership position. So he must learn from the example NDC is setting� he advised. The failed NPP parliamentary aspirant has also hit back at the NDC scribe, however: Dr. Kennedy has told Citi News his statement has been misconstrued. According to him, he did not entirely condemn the Fund, but rather lauded the idea and asked that it be managed carefully. According to him, he was particularly worried about Mr. Asiedu Nketia�s assertion that the NDC was a party worth dying for, saying that promotes violence. It would have been proper for the party to rather pursue justice for all persons and not just NDC members who are wrongfully harmed rather than see such persons as heroes. Dr. Kennedy also denied Mr. Asiedu Nketia�s claims that he once led a violent demonstration as a student leader. According to him, it was �the NDC under Former President Rawlings, which ordered the beating of students who participated in that peaceful demonstration�. The Heroes' Fund, registered as a non-governmental organization, would be governed by a seven-member board of trustees chaired by Ambassador Victor Gbeho. Mr Kamal Noshie, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Mr Kwesi Attah, Mr Yaw Boamah, Ms Doris Aidoo and Mr Simon Mawusor would also serve as administrators of the fund. These individuals would formulate policies, raise funds from both local and international sources and see to its disbursement. The Board is also expected to invest revenues accrued in profitable ventures.