Political scientist Dr Kwame Asah-Asante has urged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to tolerate criticism and adhere to internal party rules, describing dissenting views as an essential part of democratic governance.
Speaking on The Pulse programme on JoyNews, Dr Asah-Asante said political parties are governed by established rules and regulations that members are expected to follow.
“I know from where I sit that political parties are run by rules and regulations and that every member is supposed to abide by the rules, so your actions and inactions should conform to the rules of the game. Failure to which you are visited by appropriate punishment,” he said.
He stressed, however, that criticism should not be viewed as destructive but rather as a necessary tool for strengthening governance and political institutions.
“That said, it is also important for people to know that criticisms are the oils that grease the wheels of governance, without which any political entity will grind to a halt,” Dr Asah-Asante added.
According to him, the NPP must build the capacity to tolerate internal criticism while remaining faithful to due process.
“So the political party that is the NPP must develop a very thick skin and have a big stomach to be able to stomach some of these things and then build capacity on that. It is important,” he stated.
Dr. Asah-Asante noted that the party appears to hold a different position on the matter but expressed hope that fairness and due process would prevail.
“But from where I sit, and what I’m hearing, I realise that the NPP has a different view on this and all that,” he said.
He further called for procedural fairness in handling issues involving party members, particularly former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.
“It is my prayer that due process will take so that what Professor Boateng has said, he will come there and then have his say before a body, and at the end of the day we’ll see the outcome,” Dr Asah-Asante added.
His comments come in the wake of the NPP’s decision to initiate processes to expel former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, following remarks he made in a television interview describing the party as “fake” and questioning its internal democratic credentials.
In a statement signed by the party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, the NPP said it had taken “due notice” of comments made by Prof Frimpong-Boateng on Channel One TV on Monday, January 12, 2026, during which he reportedly declared that he no longer considered himself a member of the party.
The party also accused him of making “disparaging remarks” and alleging that the 2023 presidential primary was rigged in favour of former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who led the party into the 2024 general elections.
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