Effutu MP and Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, has stood by the difficult choices he made during the 8th Parliament, recognizing the criticism but maintaining that they were essential.

During an appearance on The KSM Show on Friday, March 14, he emphasized that dealing with a formidable Minority Caucus demanded a strong and decisive stance.

Addressing his legal action against Speaker Alban Bagbin over the declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant, Afenyo-Markin argued that with neither side willing to find common ground, seeking intervention from the courts became the most viable option.

“I was alone, and I had to carry everything on my shoulders. So, seeing me boisterous, seeing me punching, it was a necessary intervention.

“For instance, when I eventually became Majority Leader and the Speaker ruled against us, people asked, ‘Oh, why didn’t you negotiate? Why did you run to the Supreme Court?’ All doors were shut completely shut, to any form of engagement,” he stated.

Afenyo-Markin pointed out that with elections approaching, the political landscape suggested that the Speaker, given his ties to the opposition, would not maintain neutrality.

“The Speaker can never be neutral. The Speaker belongs to a party. And I knew that he was also doing the bidding of his party. The pressure that I put on him was similar, if not less, than the pressure he was receiving from his own party.”

He continued, “We had engaged him, but it was clear that while he would listen, he would not rule in our favor. And as the leader, I had to take action.”

The Minority Leader stressed that upholding the Speaker’s ruling would have shifted control of parliamentary affairs to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“What that meant practically was that there could be no government business. It also meant that the leadership of committees would have to change, altering committee compositions. Many people did not realize the implications of that.

“If it had been allowed to stand, the new majority would have dictated to the government what it should do. And our friends were eager to play that political game. I had no choice but to seek interpretation from the Supreme Court, and that’s exactly what I did.”