Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has called for an end to what he describes as a cycle of political retaliation in Ghana, urging political actors to focus on issues rather than engage in actions driven by revenge.
Speaking during the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) “Democracy Under Attack” demonstration on Thursday, August 6, he said the country must move away from a political culture where governments use state power to target opponents.
Afenyo-Markin stressed that his concerns were not based on the experiences of only members of his political party, but rather a broader principle of ensuring fairness and decency in Ghana’s political system.
According to him, Ghana’s democracy can only mature if political leaders prioritise constructive debate and concentrate on policies that improve the lives of citizens instead of focusing on settling political scores.
“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 demonstration forms part of the NPP’s campaign against what it describes as growing acts of political persecution, selective justice and the abuse of state institutions under the current administration.
According to the party, the protest is intended to draw public attention to several issues it believes threaten Ghana’s democratic credentials.
Among the key concerns is the acquittal and discharge of former Chief Executive Officer of Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, a development the NPP argues raises serious questions about the consistency and impartiality of the country’s justice system.
The party is also protesting what it has described as the arbitrary arrest, detention and alleged harassment of several of its members by state investigative and security agencies.
