#Election2024: Kojo Oppong Nkrumah argues 'internal dissent' is healthy for guarding against 'group think'

Minister for Works and Housing Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has admonished the political class to welcome "internal dissent".

He argued that differences in opinion was a healthy and effective mechanism to guard against "group think" - the situation where a circle of people accept a view or position without question, abhoring alternatives, to their own detriment.

Oppong Nkrumah intimated it was ill-informed and unproductive to see people with divergent views in a political party as "enemies within" when they could very well have valid concerns or opinions.

The journalist and former Information Minister was reacting to the colossal failure of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to maintain power during the 2024 general elections.

Yesterday, Sunday, December 8, 2024, a day after Ghana went to the polls, the NPP's flagbearer, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, conceded defeat on both the presidential and parliamentary fronts, underlining voters had overwhelmingly favoured the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer and former President John Dramani Mahama.

Speaking to Joy News on Monday, Oppong Nkrumah remarked, “The people of Ghana have sent us a strong message.”

According to him, there was a marked apathy on the part of NPP supporters, greatly impacting the performance of the party once led by President Nana Akufo-Addo.

“We won’t vote [for NPP] because we’re angry,” Oppong Nkrumah echoed some voter sentiments.

“We won’t vote because we’re disappointed. We won’t vote until you give us money.”

He said electorates bemoaned “how some senior government officials carried themselves”.

The former Information Minister underlined it was important to “embrace these reasons,” recalibrate and do better.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah greatly emphasised the dangers of complacency, admonishing: "The political class needs to listen a lot more to the people" to serve them appropriately.

He cautioned the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to take note, not overindulging in jubilation, feeling the full weight of the mandate they are about inheriting, and take their service to the people of Ghana seriously.

-classfmonline