Afenyo-Markin stokes controversy for saying female Minority MPs lack courage

On Wednesday, August 2, 2023, the final day of discussion on the mid-year budget put out by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta came to a contentious conclusion.

When it was his turn to address the House and summarize the arguments presented by New Patriotic Party MPs, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the deputy majority leader, sparked the dispute.

The MP said that female National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmakers lacked guts since they did not participate in the budget debate.

The Effutu MP observed that three female members of the majority party made presentations to the House, but no one from the minority party rose to speak.

“On our side, the Majority, we gave opportunity to three women to speak. Honorable Abena Osei Asare spoke, Sheila Bartels spoke, honorable Gifty Twum Ampofo spoke. Of the 20 women from the Minority side, none of them had an opportunity to comment on this statement, none of them.

“We have lawyers, we have development specialists, we have social activists. No woman from the Minority side had the courage to speak, to comment on this matter,” the Deputy Majority leader stressed.

But the Minority side did not dismiss his remark.

Kwame Governs Agbodza, MP for the NDC in the Volta Region’s Adaklu Constituency, responded by saying that the minority side also has brave ladies.

Therefore, he requested that the Majority Leader retract his comments.

“My colleague was given the opportunity to speak. He started by saying that no woman on the minority side had the courage.

“Mr. Speaker, if you respect women, you will not speak about women like that. There are courageous women here. So, Mr. Speaker, it is wrong, and I encourage you to withdraw that statement,” Mr Agbodza stressed.

Finally, the Deputy Majority Leader retracted and expressed regret for the remark.