Former Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Suame, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has urged members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to take responsibility for past shortcomings, offer apologies where necessary, and move forward in unity.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View with Bernard Avle on Monday, October 6, 2025, the former Majority Leader said it was important for the party to demonstrate humility and maturity by acknowledging mistakes made during its time in government.
“Maybe the way to go would be to own up to certain things and then move on. Remember, not too long ago, Dr. Bawumia, at a forum, even offered an apology. He said they did their best, but given the circumstances that ensued post-COVID, a few things were done which, upon reflection, could have been handled better and for that reason, he apologized for what went wrong.”
He commended Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for showing leadership by acknowledging the government’s lapses and expressing remorse, saying that approach reflected honesty and accountability.
“We are not angels. We have learned useful lessons, and going forward, we will do much better. Even some within the party criticized him.”
The Suame legislator, however, expressed disappointment at some party members who distanced themselves from the Vice President’s apology, arguing that cabinet decisions are collective and no minister can absolve themselves of responsibility.
“Somebody said, ‘If you’re apologizing, apologize on your own behalf. Don’t include me, I didn’t do anything wrong, even though I was a cabinet minister.’ How can someone speak like that? You’re a cabinet minister!
”Decisions are taken at the cabinet level. They are collective decisions. So when someone says, ‘We didn’t get everything right, and we apologize for what went wrong,’ and you, a former cabinet minister, say you’re not part of it that’s unacceptable.”
