The Member of Parliament for Banda, Ibrahim Ahmed, has expressed confidence that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) minority will not face challenges in selecting their new minority leader.
Speaking with our parliamentary correspondent, Ibrahim Alhassan, at Parliament on December 20, Ahmed stated that Alexander Afenyo-Markin is a “born opposition leader” who as the minority leader, will help put the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on their toes.
“They have a born opposition leader. Afenyo-Markin is very good at opposition, but not at government,” Ahmed noted. “In the majority, you defend; in the minority, you attack. Markin is an attacking midfielder, not a defensive one. That is why he didn’t perform well as a majority leader. But in the minority, he would be able to keep the NDC supermajority on their toes.”
Drawing a comparison between political leadership and cultural traditions, Ahmed explained that, just like in many cultures, the oldest figures within the family often emerge as leaders, and the same applies to political parties.
“When a party is losing, it tends to lose most of its senior members. So technically, as we see in our culture, the oldest man becomes the absuspanyin (head of the family). In every minority party, there are senior figures who will step into leadership positions,” Ahmed said.
He also emphasized that the NPP’s transition to a new minority leader will proceed smoothly, largely due to the presence of experienced figures within the party. Ahmed singled out Alexander Afenyo Markin as a standout candidate for the minority leadership role, stressing that his technical expertise makes him a much more effective minority leader than a majority leader.
“Afenyo-Markin is very good at opposition, but not at government. If you were to give him the majority leader role, he might not perform as well. There are certain technical aspects in his leadership that make him a much more effective minority leader than a majority leader,” he reiterated.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Amuzu Deborah
