Political analyst Dr. Samuel Afriyie has expressed deep concern over the growing cycle of retaliation he believes is creeping into Ghana’s parliamentary culture, describing it as a dangerous shift that undermines the integrity of the legislative arm of government.
Reacting to the recent chaos that erupted in the Parliament on ABC News Ghana, the Kumasi Technical University (KsTU) Lecturer, Dr. Afriyie said the behaviour reflects a broader trend already visible at the national level.
According to him, Parliament is increasingly being viewed as a space where members act on the principle of “if you do me, I will do you,” a pattern he warns is gradually becoming normalized.
“It has now been seen in Parliament as rebuttal. It’s like a system of ‘if you do me, I will do you,’ and that’s what is happening and that’s what Parliament is turning into,” he explained.
Dr. Afriyie pointed out that the situation is not new, recalling similar tensions and confrontations that were witnessed toward the end of the 8th Parliament. He cited instances where the opposition NDC engaged in heated exchanges and even protests within the parliamentary precincts.
“You can barely understand how it happens during the ending of the 8th Parliament, looking at how the NDC was doing things. We even saw the NDC marching, parliamentarians marching and those kinds of things,” he noted.
He explained that once one side engages in disruptive actions, the other side is likely to retaliate when the opportunity presents itself, leading to a cycle of chaos that erodes public trust.
“Sometimes, if you do it to the other side and they also get the opportunity, they can also do it to you. That’s what is being done; that’s how Parliament is being seen,” he added.
Dr. Afriyie cautioned that unless leadership takes deliberate steps to curb this growing tit-for-tat behaviour, Parliament risks losing its credibility and failing in its duty to provide principled, constructive governance.
