Alexander Afenyo-Markin, Leader of the Minority Caucus in Parliament, has officially rejected the use of the term “micro-minority caucus” to describe the NPP parliamentarians.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, Afenyo-Markin reiterated that the phrase is not recognised in the House’s rules and should not be officially recorded in parliamentary proceedings.
“Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, we are getting the impression, Mr. Speaker, the minority caucus is getting the impression that Mr. Speaker may be assisting the majority. Mr. Speaker, because you seem to be doing their debate for them, we are the official minority. There can be any other description. And it shouldn’t be used by anybody on the floor of this House. You cannot even use that term. It’s not only Mr. Speaker. You can’t use that term micro-minority.
From today, nobody should ever use that term in this House. Nobody should use that term in this House,” he said on the floor of Parliament.
His reaction was in response to earlier comments made by the Speaker, Alban Bagbin.
While addressing the matter, the Speaker of Parliament acknowledged the objection and admitted that the Minority Leader had previously used the term, which inadvertently influenced his own use of it.
However, the Speaker conceded that the term should not be formally recognised in Parliament’s records or used by the Speaker.
“The objection is to the fact that it should not be formally recognised by the records of Parliament. I agree with you. And so it should not be used by the Speaker. It can be used by the leaders,” the Speaker clarified.
The Minority Leader further expressed concern that the Speaker’s use of the term created the impression of bias towards the Majority.
He insisted that as the “official minority,” their caucus should not be subjected to any other description.
“Nobody should ever use that term in this House,” he emphasised, calling for an end to the usage of the phrase “micro-minority” by all members of Parliament.
This declaration marks a critical moment as the Minority Caucus seeks to safeguard its identity and status in parliamentary discourse.
