Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, says while the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) faced major challenges in office, it must not shy away from celebrating its achievements.
The Effutu MP speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on October 27, said leadership must acknowledge both failures and successes.
“Yes, we had an opportunity. We were faced with huge challenges. We tried, but we were not too successful,” he admitted.
He cited the fight against illegal mining and the global economic shocks from COVID-19 as examples of where government struggled.
“We lost the middle class, our own base, the businessmen, because there was some haircut… pensioners, educated people who ordinarily would vote NPP got disappointed,” he said, referencing the fallout from fiscal tightening measures.
According to him, the discontent even affected those closely linked to the party.
“A former Chief Justice who was appointed by our own administration… was on the streets fighting for her pension. It’s understandable,” he noted.
Despite these setbacks, Afenyo-Markin said the NPP’s record remains strong and must be defended.
“I hold the view that, despite all these disappointments, we should still let the Ghanaian people know the good things we did. It’s very important, and we shouldn’t shy away from our success stories.”
He pointed to key social intervention programs as evidence of the NPP’s transformative impact.
“If you talk about Free SHS, you talk about 1D1F for the private sector, you talk about school feeding, you talk about the mass transport system, you talk about health insurance — these are major social intervention programs that changed lives,” he stressed.
Recalling his own background, he shared how a bursary from former Minister Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom saved his education.
“But for Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom’s bursary, I wouldn’t have completed SHS in Saint Augustine’s. My mom was out of work. My stepdad had been demoted because of politics. Things were bad,” he recounted.
He said the Free SHS policy, despite its criticisms, has opened opportunities for many Ghanaian families.
“Today, you look for a house help, a gardener, and they’ll tell you they’ve completed SHS. It wasn’t the case before. Many homes, poor and rich, have benefited,” he said.
Mr Afenyo-Markin argued that the NPP’s efforts in education, industrialisation, and social welfare have reshaped Ghana’s development story.
“We shouldn’t be shy of our weakness. You come into government, you have your success story, you have your failings. But the good must be told,” he emphasised.
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