Amnesty does not provide an incentive for indiscipline – Dr Osae-Kwapong

Fellow at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr John Osae-Kwapong, has said the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) decision to grant amnesty to its suspended members should not be interpreted as a license for indiscipline within the party.

Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Monday, August 18, Dr Osae-Kwapong explained that while the decision may be driven by the party’s current challenges, it should not create the impression that misconduct will always be excused.

“I am not sure amnesty provides an incentive for people to be undisciplined. Probably, the party has sat down and realised that based upon the exigencies of the time and whatever it is that they are confronting, you would notice that one of the things that the party has been regularly harping on since their 2024 defeat is party unity,” he explained.

He noted that unity cannot be achieved by amnesty alone but acknowledged it may form part of the NPP’s efforts to reposition itself for the future.

“It takes a lot more than just amnesty to forge party unity and reposition for the next election. But I am sure in their calculus, these are some of the steps they can take to forge party unity and therefore the reason why they are offering this amnesty,” he explained.

Read also: NPP grants general amnesty to suspended members ahead of 2028 polls

Dr Osae-Kwapong, however, cautioned that the party must ensure the decision does not send the wrong signal to its members.

“I am not sure others should see this as, or interpret this as, ‘I can do anything in the party because, at some point, the party, because they prize unity over everything else, would grant me an amnesty.’ I hope that doesn’t become the unintended consequence of this,” he warned.

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