The Leader of the Minority Caucus in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has formally objected to the phrase “micro-minority caucus” being used to refer to the members of the NPP.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, Afenyo-Markin restated that the statement should not be formally recorded in parliamentary proceedings since it is not recognized by the House’s rules.
“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.
The Speaker of Parliament acknowledged the objection and acknowledged that the Minority Leader had previously used the term, which unintentionally influenced his own use of it. Nevertheless, the Speaker acknowledged that the term should not be formally recognized in Parliament’s records or used by the Speaker. His response was in response to earlier remarks made by the Speaker, Alban Bagbin.
“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.
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.
As the Minority Caucus works to preserve its standing and identity in parliamentary discourse, this proclamation represents a turning point.
