Speak truth to power – Afenyo-Markin urges CSOs

Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has posited that the pivotal role played by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the success of democratic governance requires of  them to be unbiased, fair and firm in speaking truth to power whether or not the power in question is in Government or in opposition.

“If you try to dilute your thinking because of your source of funding, you make yourself a pro-opposition CSO or you make yourself a pro-government CSO, you destroy the value of your work. Be a diplomat who would see everything and be guided in your language and speak truth to power.  Whether power in opposition or power in government, speak truth to it. When the opposition gets it wrong, tell them that their data is wrong and all of us would accept you”, Mr. Afenyo-Markin noted in an address at a ceremony held by the Parliamentary Training Institute to mark the 2022 International Day of Parliamentarism.

The Deputy Majority Leader who doubles as Member of Parliament for the Effutu Constituency in the Central Region  noted further: “We cannot also overlook the work of Civil Society Organisations. To me, they have become a watch dog monitoring our activities as political leaders and an attempt to antagonize them would mean our own attempt at derailing our democracy. Politicians are often in self denial. We get research findings and we deny them.

“Civil Society enriches law making. Whatever they do helps us in our oversight and we have to encourage them to continue. Of course, the resource constraint creates a problem.  I therefore encourage those who are lovers of democracy to continue to support Civil Society and the academia  in their efforts at helping enrich Parliamentary democracy.”

Afenyo-Markin recounted a personal experience  to put emphasis on his suggestion on the  need  for  political leaders and persons involved in the act and craft of contemporary politics to accept the results of scientifically conducted research and surveys even when the outcomes do not appear favorable.

“I can state on authority that some moths leading to the election of 2020, we got a Civil Society Organisation that did some good work for us as Central  Regional Caucus  NPP. And when they brought the report and said we were going to get nine seats and we would lose marginally, the MPs rubbished the report. Only one person took to it serious and he visited the villages where the research had projected he was going to lose. And he made it to Parliament and he is the Deputy Minister for Education  Honourable  Ntim Fordjour

“In my own constituency, I did not know there were villages without electricity. When the report came, I took it serious and I went digging. And it saved me otherwise I would have returned to Parliament with a slim margin. Honourable Kennedy Agyapong; they told him straight in the face that he would  get 55 percent and he got 55 percent. So we need the CSOs and we must not antagonize them”,  Afenyo-Markin added

Addressing his colleague-Parliamentarians, Afenyo-Markin called for  an enhanced cordial relationship between the Majority and the Minority sided and the need to correct the public perception held by many that the two divides of the House are sworn arch-rivals and enemies: “Let us let people know that what we do in the Chamber is not aimed at antagonizing each other. Those who do not know must know that it is only aimed to enrich democracy and out of the Chamber, we are each other’s keeper.”

Afenyo-Markin explained further:  “I think that the democracy of this country has gotten to a point where as political leaders, we must congregate around issues and do less of partisanship and the mischief politics because we create a rather unfortunate impression to our followers who think that we box in the Chamber and we are enemies so they carry on the suspicion which is unfortunate.

“But we are friends. Minority Chief Whip was talking about the need for us to work together. I remember during the E-Levy period, I lost all my friends on the Minority side. One evening, one told  me that ‘Leader now there is a spy so we can’t come to you in the evenings for us to chat’. But when the E-Levy was over, they started trooping in and we restored friendship. You would even call somebody he won’t pick because he said they are monitoring him. What a sad moment for democracy”?

Afenyo-Markin commended  the Parliamentary Training Institute  for organizing the ceremony to commemorate the International Day of Parliamentarism.