A physician, author, and politician, Dr. Arthur Kennedy has criticised the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), stating that the party needs an apology tour rather than a thank you tour.
In his view, the NPP has more to atone for than to celebrate, emphasising that the party should be apologising to the country for its bad governance.
He argued that the party has failed to address the real reasons behind its declining public trust.
Dr. Kennedy believes that an accountability process is necessary, where leaders of the previous government and agencies responsible for mis-governance, arrogance, and corruption are held to account, as these factors contributed to the party’s defeat.
According to him, genuine repentance and accountability would do far more to restore the NPP’s image than public displays of gratitude, helping the party regain credibility with the public.
Dr. Kennedy also expressed concern about internal tensions within the NPP following its presidential primaries.
He pointed out that the primary, which led to the selection of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, was marred by rancour and even violence, including reports of someone losing an eye.
He noted that the party has not done enough to heal those internal wounds and claimed that incidents of slapping had occurred even during the ongoing Thank You Tour, suggesting the need for more behind-the-scenes reconciliation before any public activities.
He further stated that the timing and tone of the tour indicate that the party is more focused on securing political ground quickly rather than genuinely rebuilding trust from within.
Dr. Kennedy observed that Dr. Bawumia appears to be positioning himself ahead of his competitors, a move he believes is obvious to the public.
He stressed that the key to electoral success lies not in performance tours but in sincere introspection, warning that the public is watching and that the NPP must demonstrate that it has learned from its past mistakes, as a Thank You Tour alone would not achieve that.
