Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has called on Ghana’s political leaders to move away from retaliatory politics and focus instead on national development and policies that address the country’s challenges.
Speaking at the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) “Democracy Under Attack” demonstration in Accra on Thursday, 6 August, Mr Afenyo-Markin said governments should not use state institutions to target political opponents.
He said his position was not motivated solely by partisan politics, but by the need to protect fairness, justice and decency within Ghana’s democratic system.
The Minority Leader argued that democracy would be strengthened if political leaders stopped concentrating on settling scores and gave greater attention to the developmental problems affecting citizens, particularly outside the capital.
“As a country, we must end this vicious cycle of ‘you do me, I do you.’ All my life, I’ve believed that we can do politics in a very decent way. If you leave Accra and go deep into the hinterlands, you see that there is serious underdevelopment in our country. That should be what should occupy our minds as political leaders,” he said.
The protest in Accra was part of a nationwide campaign organised by the NPP against what the party describes as political persecution, selective justice and the misuse of state institutions by the current administration.
The party says the demonstrations are intended to draw attention to developments it believes pose a threat to Ghana’s democratic principles, the rule of law and the independence of important state institutions.
The NPP has raised particular concern over the acquittal and discharge of Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC).
According to the opposition party, that decision has prompted questions about whether Ghana’s justice system is being applied consistently and impartially.
The party has also criticised what it describes as the arbitrary arrest and detention of some of its members, as well as alleged harassment by state investigative and security agencies.
Mr Afenyo-Markin’s appeal comes against the background of the NPP’s wider criticism of the current administration’s handling of political opponents and state institutions. But his message at the demonstration was that the problem extended beyond the interests of any one party.
He urged political leaders to ensure that Ghanaian politics was conducted in a manner consistent with fairness, justice and democratic values. In his view, the country’s most pressing concern should be the underdevelopment experienced in communities beyond Accra, rather than the continuation of political retaliation.
The NPP maintains that its “Democracy Under Attack” campaign is aimed at defending the rule of law and strengthening the independence of key institutions. Mr Afenyo-Markin said ending the culture of “you do me, I do you” was essential if Ghana’s democracy was to develop in a more constructive direction.
