Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the minority leader, has criticized the government’s decision to expedite the Public Holidays (Amendment) Bill under a certificate of urgency, calling it a misalignment of national priorities in the face of urgent social and economic issues.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, the Minority Leader questioned why a holiday modification should be seen as an emergency requiring immediate legislative action, even though he acknowledged the cultural and symbolic significance of public holidays.
“We do not trivialise Ghana’s heritage or the importance of inclusive celebrations,” Mr. Afenyo-Markin said and added, “But we must question the government’s sense of priority in granting a certificate of urgency to a bill about public holidays.”
He maintained that the certificate of urgency is typically not used for calendar modifications but rather for issues of national security, economic disaster, or extreme public need.
“What exactly is the emergency? Is renaming a holiday as urgent as tackling galamsey, rising unemployment, or the economic downturn?” he asked
Mr. Afenyo-Markin voiced his frustration that despite public commitments, a number of important reforms, including the Anti-Galamsey Bill, Conflict of Interest Legislation, Domestic Workers Bill, Property Rights of Spouses Bill, and the 24-Hour Economy Bill, have not been introduced to the House, citing the government’s own unmet promises.
“The government has not introduced a single piece of comprehensive legislation to combat illegal mining. No anti-galamsey bill, no repeal of the controversial LI 2462, nothing,” he stated.
He also criticized the ruling government for not fulfilling its pledge to enact the Ghanaian Family Values and Proper Human Sexual Rights Bill, which it had previously supported while in opposition.
“Some of the loudest voices defending the anti-LGBTQ+ bill came from this very House. Now, with the mandate to act, there is total silence,” he added.
The lack of legislative initiatives to carry out the pledges made during the President’s State of the Nation Address, especially the 24-Hour Economy Bill, which he characterized as crucial to job creation, was also denounced by the Minority Leader.
When the Majority Leader brought up a point of order, accusing Mr. Afenyo-Markin of “reading copiously” from prepared notes—a technique that is prohibited by parliamentary standing orders—the debate became heated.
The Minority Leader defended his strategy, saying that in order to maintain accountability and coherence, genuine democracies promote well-prepared contributions.
In his answer, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga accused the Minority Leader of being insensitive to religious inclusion by blocking a bill that would give Muslims another public holiday.
However, Afenyo-Markin argued that the selective urgency of the administration was the reason for his disagreement rather than the bill’s content.
He urged the government to “reset its priorities and restore credibility by acting on the promises it made to Ghanaians,” claiming that the minority would not support the bill’s immediate approval.
While back-and-forth discussions between the two sides of the House persisted regarding the appropriateness of the urgency clause and the more general issue of legislative priorities, First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor, who was presiding over the sitting, repeatedly intervened to restore order as tensions rose.
After passing through every stage in a single day, the House finally adopted the Holidays Amendment Bill.
Source: newsthemegh.com