You get up and speaks anyhow – Muntaka tears apart Afenyo-Markin in Parliament

The Member of Parliament for Asawase and current Minister of Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, on June 3, 2025, openly criticised the Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, for what he described as a disregard for the established rules that guide proceedings in the House.

Muntaka raised concern about Afenyo-Markin’s conduct during a parliamentary session, accusing him of regularly rising to speak without following proper procedures. He stated that such actions undermine the authority of the House and disregard Standing Orders that ensure order and discipline during debates.

Addressing the Speaker of Parliament, Muntaka referenced Standing Order 160, arguing that once a matter is referred to a committee, members are not permitted to continue debating it in the chamber until the committee presents its report. He said any further discussion should take place within the committee setting and not on the floor of the House.

“Mr Speaker, this is where my worry is. After you have referred this to the committee, reading Standing Order 160, it does not give any other member the opportunity to just get up and speak about what has been referred. You can only go to the committee and make your argument there. When the report comes, that is when you debate it,” Muntaka stated during the session.

He further criticised Afenyo-Markin’s conduct as disruptive and called for immediate action to be taken by the Speaker to restore order.

“But Mr Speaker, the way the Minority Leader is behaving, he is simply turning the rules of the House upside down. He gets up and speaks anyhow he wishes. With the greatest respect, we need to bring the Minority Leader to order, for him to understand that this House is governed by rules.”

In a more pointed remark, Muntaka compared the Minority Leader’s behaviour to that of a “spoilt child,” saying, “He cannot be speaking out of turn. He is behaving like a spoilt child who has lost his food and is therefore behaving anyhow. Mr. Speaker, let us get him to act in order.”

In response, Afenyo-Markin strongly disagreed with Muntaka’s description of him and rejected the comparison. He viewed the comments as personal attacks rather than a constructive critique of parliamentary conduct. Afenyo-Markin maintained that his actions were within the bounds of parliamentary engagement and described Muntaka’s remarks as uncalled for and inappropriate in the context of mature legislative discourse.

The exchange between the two high-profile MPs highlights ongoing tensions in Parliament, where procedural disagreements and political rivalry often clash, sometimes spilling into public view.