Dr. Kobina Arthur Kennedy, a prominent member and former presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has criticized the party for what he sees as a hypocritical approach in handling internal issues. The physician and political activist argues that while the NPP’s recent decision to grant amnesty to suspended members and those who have distanced themselves from the party may come from good intentions, the party should first issue an apology to Ghanaians before offering amnesty to its former members.
Dr. Arthur Kennedy, while speaking on Joy Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Monday, August 18, Dr. Kennedy argued that while the intention behind granting amnesty may have been to foster unity, what the party truly needs is reconciliation through accountability.
“I believe the intent is good, but the execution was poorly handled. The unity essential for the success of political parties is indispensable, as history has demonstrated. However, I think we owe many people apologies, not just amnesties,” he stated. Dr. Kennedy emphasised that key figures within the NPP, including former National Chairman Dr. Paul Afoko and former General Secretary Ing. Kwabena Agyapong, deserve apologies for the treatment they received from the party.
“We need to apologize to Ghanaians for operating the party as if it were a private club owned by a select few. A political party is a public institution and should be managed in a way that invites broader participation,” he added. According to the NPP stalwart, the party experienced an unprecedented defeat in the 2024 General Elections mainly due to internal divisions, highlighting the necessity of rebuilding trust with both the party’s base and the wider electorate.
“In actual fact, the 2024 elections we lost partly because we were divided. Twenty percent of John Mahama’s votes came from old NPP members who never resigned publicly, so they don’t need amnesty. But those votes must be earned back in 2028,” he explained.
He further described the amnesty move as hypocritical, recalling that in 2008 the party allowed someone without a membership card to become running mate, while disqualifying other members for not having “developed the party enough.”
He opined that the NPP must make peace not only with suspended members but also with the Ghanaian people for what he called “bone-headed policies.”
“The same way you suspended and humiliated them, that is the same place you should go and make peace with them. The apologies are important—not only to Afoko and others, but to the people of Ghana, for policies such as spending $100 million on a hole while children still studied under trees and markets remained uncompleted,” he said.
Source : Kobina Darlington/Peacefmonline.com
