‘Don’t reward only bitter tongues’ – Bagbin tells political party leaders

Ghana's Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has cautioned political party leaders against rewarding members who use insults and abusive language in public. In an emergency parliamentary session on September 29, Bagbin emphasized that recognizing such behavior could incentivize others to adopt similar tactics to gain attention and recognition within their parties.

"Don’t reward only bitter tongues," he stated emphatically during the session. The Speaker's remarks were made in response to growing concerns over the use of inflammatory remarks in political discourse. He warned that such recognition would create a norm where abusive language is seen as an acceptable way to participate in political debates.

Bagbin urged party leaders to recognize that effective leadership involves setting standards for communication, particularly when discussing opponents and matters of national importance. MPs, he argued, have a crucial responsibility to model restraint because their words and actions often shape public conversations. While acknowledging that robust disagreement and strong criticism are legitimate in a democratic society, Bagbin stressed that insults and personal attacks are not forms of argument or scrutiny.

He expressed concern about the language used by MPs both inside and outside Parliament, emphasizing that elected representatives must uphold the standards expected of public officials. Bagbin reminded political leaders that demanding restraint from the public is ineffective unless they demonstrate the same discipline themselves.

He emphasized that leadership in this matter requires demonstrating that political disagreements can be vigorous without becoming destructive.