Former Lands Minister and Tamale Central MP Inusah Fuseini has warned that allegations of MPs pursuing personal interests could undermine public trust in Parliament and Ghana’s democracy.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, Mr Fuseini said Parliament’s 276 members were given a clear mandate to represent the interests of more than 30 million Ghanaians.
He said concerns that some lawmakers may be using their positions for personal gain should therefore be treated as a broader threat to democratic governance.
“We have over 30 million people in this country; 276 have been privileged that, in between the times, four-year term, they take decisions on our behalf because we have trusted them to do so,” he said.
Mr Fuseini said MPs are entrusted with significant responsibilities, including controlling public finances, holding the Executive accountable and passing laws.
He warned that this mandate becomes compromised when lawmakers begin treating it as a personal commodity.
“So when the public begins seeing that these 276 persons that we have given the mandate to represent us and transact business on our behalf in Parliament, hold our purse, I mean hold the executive accountable, pass laws for us, are doing that for themselves, have commodified that mandate that we have given them, and are trading in that mandate,” he said.
According to him, such conduct would not only damage the credibility of individual MPs but could also erode confidence in Parliament as an institution.
“That not only undermines their legitimacy, it also undermines and erodes public confidence and public trust in that institution, and that is what we are confronted with,” he said.
His comments come amid a controversy involving Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin and Sammy Gyamfi.
Mr Gyamfi, the Acting CEO of the Ghana Gold Board and NDC Communications Officer, had accused Mr Afenyo-Markin of extortion.
The allegation triggered a fierce political dispute, with Mr Afenyo-Markin subsequently taking legal action.
Mr Fuseini said the issue should not be reduced to a dispute involving one politician.
He argued that the broader concern was whether elected representatives were still prioritising the collective interest of the people who sent them to Parliament.
“If that person was sent to Parliament to ensure that the resources are used judiciously and prudently, and that person now thinks that all of us do not matter, in so far as his pocket is lined, then we are in trouble,” he said.
“Then the basic reason why we elected them in the first place goes, because they do not stand for us any longer; they are standing for themselves.”
Mr Fuseini said the allegations must therefore be viewed in light of the broader constitutional responsibilities of Parliament and elected officials.
“That’s why we should treat what we are hearing not as Alexander Afenyo-Markin, but as a serious concern that goes to the root of our democracy,” he said.
He said the pursuit of personal interests at the expense of the public could undermine the constitutional promise of equal opportunity and national prosperity.
“That promise will seriously be undermined if people do not pursue the collective interests, but are pursuing personal interests to the, I mean, disadvantage of the entirety of Ghana,” he said.
