Former Lands Minister and Tamale Central MP Inusah Fuseini has cautioned Members of Parliament against pursuing personal interests at the expense of the national interest, warning that such conduct could undermine public confidence in Parliament and Ghana’s democratic system. Mr Fuseini said the 276 MPs in Parliament had been entrusted by more than 30 million Ghanaians to make decisions on their behalf and must therefore remain accountable to the people who elected them.
Speaking on PM Express on Tuesday, August 25, he said Parliament’s mandate extended beyond legislation to the management of public resources and oversight of the Executive, making the conduct of individual lawmakers a matter of national importance. He said concerns that MPs could be using their positions for personal benefit should not be dismissed as isolated political disputes because they had implications for the credibility of democratic institutions. “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.
According to Mr Fuseini, MPs are entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding the public purse, holding the Executive accountable and passing laws that serve the interests of the country. He argued that this responsibility becomes compromised when lawmakers allegedly begin treating the mandate given to them by voters as a personal asset. “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, 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. Mr Fuseini warned that perceived abuse of parliamentary authority could have consequences beyond the reputation of individual MPs.
He said such perceptions could weaken the legitimacy of lawmakers while simultaneously eroding citizens’ trust 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 follows the political dispute involving Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin and Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi. Mr Gyamfi, who is also an NDC Communications Officer, accused Mr Afenyo-Markin of extortion, an allegation that has triggered a sharp political confrontation and subsequent legal action by the Minority Leader. However, Mr Fuseini said the controversy should not be viewed merely as a personal disagreement between the two politicians. He said the central issue should instead be whether elected representatives were fulfilling the responsibility entrusted to them by the electorate.
“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. Mr Fuseini argued that the essence of representative democracy was defeated if public officials prioritised their own financial or personal interests over those of citizens. “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,” he said. He therefore urged Ghanaians to view allegations of self-interest among public officials as a broader governance concern rather than confining the debate to individual political actors. “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. Mr Fuseini further linked the issue to the constitutional responsibility of public institutions to promote the welfare and prosperity of Ghanaians.
He warned that the pursuit of private interests by persons entrusted with public authority could undermine the broader promise of equal opportunity and national development. “That promise will seriously be undermined if people do not pursue the collective interests, but are pursuing personal interests to the disadvantage of the entirety of Ghana,” he said. His remarks add to growing calls for greater accountability and ethical conduct among public officials, particularly those entrusted with decisions affecting public resources and national policy.
By: Joyce Owusu
