New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Chairman aspirant Sammy Crabbe says a decline in openness and intellectual debate within the party has pushed some capable members away, with some eventually joining the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking on Channel One TV on Tuesday, September 22, Mr Crabbe said the NPP previously provided members with more room to express their views, challenge ideas and engage in discussions.
“Within the NPP there was kind of freedom. There was a latitude. You engage, and then you think, and, you know, you try to make your way through it. Yes, it is less so now, unfortunately,” he said.
Mr Crabbe attributed the change partly to how the party’s constitution was handled, arguing that it affected the willingness of some members to participate actively in the party.
“I think that the culture was radically changed, you know, the way we even attacked our constitution. It in itself made good people move away, be scared to really engage and drive it,” he said.
Despite these concerns, he said the NPP still has members with considerable knowledge and expertise but needs to find better ways to organise and use that knowledge.
“They are good people; I can see knowledge. I can feel it. When you talk to people, they have a lot of knowledge, but how do you organise this knowledge? How do you put it out objectively?” he asked.
According to Mr Crabbe, the narrowing of space for differing opinions has also contributed to what he described as growing intolerance within the party.
“So we created a lot of space, and people could challenge and argue. And I think that space has been narrowed. And there’s a lot of intolerance,” he said.
He further noted that some former NPP members who left the party for the NDC have gone on to become prominent figures within the opposition party.
