CJ SUSPENSION: Let’s Leave Behind The Era Of Retaliatory Politics – Afenyo-Markin
Majority Leader in Parliament and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has made an impassioned plea for the country to move beyond what he described as an era of “retaliatory politics”, particularly in light of ongoing debates surrounding the removal of the Chief Justice.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Friday, May 2, Afenyo-Markin reflected on his personal history, recalling how his stepfather, a mason foreman who once worked at the Pomadze Poultry in the Central Region, became a victim of political retribution in 1996.
According to the MP, his stepfather, a supporter of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), was demoted and reassigned as a watchman at Ankaful following the elections, an act he attributed to the political climate under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) regime.
“At the time, I was at St Augustine’s. My mum would come and pick me up to visit the old man. The PNDC regime got rid of him. Should I carry the pain?” he asked rhetorically.
Using this anecdote to illustrate the long-standing nature of political victimisation in Ghana, Afenyo-Markin urged his colleagues and the broader political class to rise above personal grievances and focus on the greater good.
“So, if I see Zanetor [Rawlings], should I say it’s your father’s regime, the PNDC revolution, that destroyed my father’s career, and still harbour that pain? No,” he said, referring to the daughter of the late former President Jerry John Rawlings.
He continued, “I’ve said ab initio that the time has come for us as a nation to leave behind us that era of retaliatory politics. As individuals in this space, we may have our own issues, but beyond that lies governance, and that is where I want the direction to be.”
Credit: Emmanuel Tetteh
