By: Ashiadey Dotse
Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has assured the government of the opposition’s willingness to cooperate — but only if engagements are conducted respectfully and in accordance with democratic norms.
His remark follows an operation by operatives of the National Investigations Bureau (NIB), who stormed the home of Assin South MP Ntim Fordjour to execute an arrest warrant.
Addressing the media shortly after the incident, Afenyo-Markin strongly criticised the government’s approach, describing the early-morning operation — involving over 20 armed personnel — as unnecessary and intimidating. He warned that such methods could undermine Ghana’s democratic gains.
“We’ve been in this exercise for years. What we experienced this morning shouldn’t be part of the government’s legacy. Four years may seem far, but it’s nearer than it appears,” the Minority Leader said.
According to Afenyo-Markin, the reverend minister and MP, Ntim Fordjour, was merely expressing views on behalf of the caucus and should not be singled out or used as an example to silence dissent. “Reverend is not a loner. He has not walked alone. He will never walk alone,” he declared emphatically.
The Minority Leader emphasised that in a democracy, disagreement is not criminal. “If the government disagrees with views expressed, it can respond. You don’t send armed men to arrest a sitting Member of Parliament. We don’t need that. If you disagree, you disagree — let’s engage,” he said.
He stated that the member had called for a bipartisan inquiry into the matter, urging all sides to commit to transparency and democratic dialogue. “Enough is enough. Stop it. Let’s engage. We are political actors,” he stressed.
Afenyo-Markin also urged government officials to focus on critical national issues like unemployment and illegal mining (galamsey), areas in which he believes the administration has yet to show adequate commitment.
“We want to assure the government that we will cooperate if they approach things in a decent manner, but we will not be intimidated,” he concluded, warning that continued state aggression could mark the beginning of the end for the current government if not corrected.
