Allegations of MPs pursuing personal interests could erode public trust – Inusah Fuseini

Former Lands Minister and Tamale Central MP Inusah Fuseini has cautioned that allegations of MPs pursuing personal interests could weaken public faith in Parliament and Ghana's democracy. Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express, Mr Fuseini emphasized that Parliament’s 276 members were entrusted with the mandate to represent over 30 million Ghanaians.

He stated that concerns over some lawmakers potentially using their positions for personal gain should be addressed as a 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 explained.

Fuseini noted that MPs are entrusted with substantial duties, including managing public finances, holding the Executive accountable, and enacting laws. He warned that when lawmakers begin viewing their mandate as a personal asset, the trust placed in them by the public is compromised. "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 warned.

This conduct not only diminishes the credibility of individual MPs but could also undermine confidence in Parliament as an institution, Fuseini argued. The controversy involving Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin and Sammy Gyamfi, where Mr Gyamfi accused Mr Afenyo-Markin of extortion, has fueled political discord. Mr Fuseini stressed that the issue should not be reduced to a dispute between two politicians but should be viewed as a broader concern about elected representatives prioritizing their own interests over the collective good of the people who elected them.

He emphasized that such pursuits of personal interests at the expense of public welfare could undermine the constitutional promise of equal opportunity and national prosperity. According to Fuseini, this undermines the very foundation of democracy and the promise of equal opportunity for all Ghanaians.