Former Education Minister and 2024 New Patriotic Party (NPP) vice-presidential candidate, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has called for respectful political discourse, stressing that disagreement is an essential part of democracy but should not degenerate into insults.

In a post shared on his X page on August 11, 2026, he said citizens must be free to criticise political leaders, challenge political parties and question ideas, while maintaining respect and dignity in their engagements.

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“Disagreement is democracy, but insult is not. We may criticise leaders, challenge political parties and question ideas, but when argument gives way to abuse, democracy loses its relevance,” he said.

Dr Opoku Prempeh urged Ghanaians to embrace political differences without allowing disagreements to destroy relationships or undermine democratic values.

“Let’s disagree fiercely without losing our dignity because I believe a strong democracy is not one where everyone agrees, but one where we disagree without destroying one another,” he added.

His comments follow the arrest of several individuals over alleged offensive comments and threats directed at the President, igniting discussions about the balance between freedom of expression and the need to protect public officials from abuse.

The New Patriotic Party recently organised a demonstration to protest what it describes as threats to Ghana’s democracy.

The demonstration drew attention to issues including alleged intimidation, the handling of political dissent and what the NPP considers an erosion of democratic freedoms.

See the post below:

Disagreement is democracy, but insult is not. We may criticise leaders, challenge political parties and question ideas, but when argument gives way to abuse, democracy loses its relevance.

Let’s disagree fiercely without losing our dignity because I believe a strong democracy… pic.twitter.com/i6OZCkJHVQ

— Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (@MatthewOPrempeh) August 11, 2026