Afenyo-Markins charges NPP to engage with the masses

The Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has called on NPP Members of Parliament to engage with their constituents, and allay their frustrations.

The Effutu MP fears the party could hand a windfall victory to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) if the MPs fail to duly engage with the people.

He said research from civil society organisations had shown that Ghanaians had a lot of bottled-up frustration towards government as a result of the economy’s trajectory in recent times.

He warned that if the situation was not managed appropriately, it could manifest in the outcome of the 2024 elections.

In an interview with the media, he stressed the need for constant engagement with the constituents to explain the current “circumstances and what government is doing, while also listening to the issues that affect them”.

“We are in very challenging times. If you allow any vacuum, the frustration will manifest in the elections, and you’ll get booted out. I have always relied on research, and I don’t doubt data. … So, we’ve been working on some research findings, and I have a fair idea how Ghanaians feel about this government.

“We have a lot of frustrations out there, and we can’t run away from that fact. The opposition would have a windfall if we lay back. We have to work; we have to explain. The little we can do, we must demonstrate to the people that we mean well,” he advised.

Twin crisis

He noted that the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war had left the economy spiraling, saying the “the private sector is suffering a contraction, while the public sector is unable to absorb the excesses”.

Such unfortunate situation, he said, is contributing to the unemployment situation in the country.

“Look, Covid struck, for almost two years the economy was at a standstill. Soon thereafter, we had Russian-Ukraine war. When initially it started and we were talking about it, people downplayed it, but today the cement factories are in need of cement paper to bag.

“Most of these are coming from Russia. Iron rods are coming from Ukraine, wheats are coming from Ukraine. The value chain is affected. The world economy is in crisis, and Ghana is not insulated in anyway,” he bemoaned.

According to him, it is only normal that Ghanaians would blame the government for their frustrations, and MPS should engage constantly with then to calm the simmering anger.

He added: “The ordinary Ghanaian trader who goes to the market and his business or her business is affected must blame somebody and the person to blame is government. That is the reality. Because when people are frustrated, who is there to blame? Government, it’s not the opposition”.

To this end, he urged his colleague MPs to engage with their constituents to protect the fortunes of the party.

“…so, for those of us in that privileged status, that is the time for us to work extra hard. And to me, it hasn’t been easy. Three days ago, I was in Winneba; up to 2am, we were meeting constituents in the villages, engaging them, explaining, talking to them, having 5am meetings,” he disclosed.