Afenyo-Markin urges the public against name-calling of the EC

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has stated that it is perfectly OK for anyone to criticise the Electoral Commission’s (EC) procedures as long as it is balanced and constructive.

He stated that as the state organization responsible with conducting and overseeing national elections, they are entitled to constructive criticism when things go wrong, but they also deserve to be congratulated when they do the right thing.

He highlighted that Ghanaians should solely focus on the bad aspects.

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“I recall when I was in opposition and I had issues with the EC, I took it all the way to the Supreme Court. I was raising the issues and we got justice in our courts at the time, 2015 assembly elections,” Mr Afenyo-Markin said.

“Nothing stops anyone from critiquing the work of the EC but the name-calling must be stopped and I think when we do that, our followers will not be misled into thinking that this is what we say so they should follow us and do the wrong things,” he added.

Event

Mr. Afenyo-Markin, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Effutu seat, made these statements during an interview with the Graphic Online on Wednesday [June 12, 2024], while paying a courtesy call on the management of Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL) in Accra.

The visit aimed to deepen the already warm connection between Parliament and the corporation.

It also functioned as a platform for significant stakeholders in Ghana’s development to establish rapport, share ideas, and propose solutions to national-interest issues.

Media

Mr Afenyo-Markin also advised media outlets to act in a way that discourages unnecessary antagonism by refusing access to those who would use their platforms to sow division, as tension usually stems from what is communicated.

“I don’t believe that a politician should mount a platform and attack another politician as a means of winning power. We should table our agenda for transformation and that is what will help,” he intimated.

The Efuttu lawmaker emphasized that Ghana’s elections have been mostly peaceful since 1992, and that nothing will change before, during, or after this year’s poll.

He challenged all of us politicians and media outlets to be very constructive on national issues that might arise, emphasizing that Ghana will only develop if we all focus good energy on them.

He also urged security agencies to remain firm in their execution of the laws throughout the elections.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin Recognized that, while there was still space for improvement, Ghana outperformed its subregional neighbours in numerous categories, including infrastructure and private sector growth, which helps to solve unemployment.

He also stated that the government has done an admirable job in education by establishing the Free Senior High School (SHS) and Free Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs.

“From 800,000, today we have 1.4 million Ghanaians in school. Apart from that, we have seen massive infrastructure transformation in our various senior high schools. Government did not just implement free shs but has matched it with infrastructure, more is yet to be done,” the Majority Leader in Parliament stressed.

“So you look at the road sector, we have challenges but again you can also see that contractors are on our roads working day in and day out. So we can raise the bar by looking at what the ordinary Ghanaian wants rather than attacking and all,” he added.