Krobea Kwabena Asante, an aid to former Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, has encouraged the New Patriotic Party patriots to feel free to criticise public officials constructively. He encouraged them to freely criticise political public without fear of defamation claims.
In a Facebook post, Krobea Kwabena Asante reassured his supporters that as long as criticism are based on documented facts and evidence, they do not constitute defamation. He encouraged NPP supporters not to be intimidated when questioning the actions of public officials.
“Dear Patriots, feel free and/to make all the constructive criticisms against political public officers, nothing untoward will happen. It is not defamatory at all especially over/on issues with documentations and evidence. Don’t allow yourselves to be intimidated by anyone.” He wrote.
Furthermore, he announced that young legal professionals would soon host a podcast to educate the NPP supporters on defamation, specifically slander and libel. The session will explore what qualifies as defamation and possible legal defenses.
His remarks come amid ongoing public discourse on freedom of speech and political accountability in Ghana. Many social New Patriotic Party compatriots welcomed the announcement, saying it would help clarify legal misconception surrounding criticism of public officials. Others suggested that such discussions should be made more accessible to the general public.
“Also, some of our young lawyers will take us through the topic Defamation:Slander & Libel , what constitutes Defamation and the defences via podcast one of these days. Keep up with the good works.” He revealed.
Krobea Kwabena Asante’s post follow various threats from public officials, especially John Dramani Mahama’s appointees who have stated categorically to sue anyone making false claims about their person.
Read the full post here: Facebook Post.