The NPP Member of Parliament for Okere, Mr Dan Kweku Botwe, has criticized Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah for publicly criticizing his party and the government. He said Dr Spio-Garbrah ought to have used the internal structures of the NDC to address whatever concerns he had instead of publicly attacking some party members and the government. “I totally disagree with Spio, you don’t do that. Write a memo to the National Executive…let it be the case that all attempts to seek time with the leadership” have failed, “they are not giving you chance, you write anything they are not minding you, they have just blacklisted you, then of course you may” state your concerns publicly, Mr Botwe said on Joy FM’s current Affairs Programme, Front Page hosted by Papa Kow Acquaye. For him, actions such as Spio’s only create unnecessary rift with political parties and weakens them - something he contends is not good for the democratic development of the country. “I am in NPP, I wish we will come to power and you come to power when your opponent becomes weak but I tell you, I am interested in viable political parties. What I don’t wish for my party I will never support because it has happened in NDC,” he stated. The former Information Minister in the Kufuor regime said Ghanaians “should support political parties and seek what is right and what is good and encourage disciplined way of handling issues.” He said the behaviour of Dr Spio-Garbrah should never be encouraged, emphasising that “if it is an internal matter find a way of dealing with it internally – and I am sure all parties have these internal and grievance procedures, exhaust them - if after exhausting them you still think that for national interest you want to come out, fine. But you don’t for the first time write articles.” The former General Secretary of the NPP, credited with delivering electoral victories to the party, also took issue with Mr Ato Ahwoi for responding to Dr Spio-Garbrah articles in the Daily Graphic in which he (Spio-Garbrah) launched scathing attacks on the government accusing the president of fielding a ‘Team B’. Mr Botwe wondered why Mr Ahwoi did not respond to former president Rawlings who also made similar comments about the government complaining on several occasions of the president appointing mediocre ministers. “Rawlings said the same thing, he said mediocre ministers, mediocre and Team B, what is the difference,? he asked adding that “I expected Mr Ato Ahwoi to be bolder and attack Rawlings. Why are they attacking only Spio? Is it because they find Spio to be weaker?” Mr Dan Botwe also debunked the notion that the NPP was in deep political crisis and divided along the lines of Nana Akufo-Addo and Alan Kyerematen. He said there were fanatics in all groups who sometimes become overly exuberant about people they support and may seek to do everything to protect the interest of those people. But that, he counseled, should not be misconstrued to mean crisis and factions in the party. Supporting his argument, Dr Kwesi Jonah, a Political Scientist who was also on the programme, said all political parties had some conflicts which are not necessarily bad. Conflicts, according to Dr Jonah, point to serious issues in the parties which when solved make the party and the general society better. He stressed the need for political parties to find ways of amicably resolving their conflicts internally. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana