Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has strongly criticized President John Mahama’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), describing it as a repetition of past grievances rather than a presentation of concrete solutions.
Speaking after the President’s address in Parliament on Thursday, Afenyo-Markin accused Mahama of failing to take responsibility for the economic challenges he has been lamenting over the years.
“On 21st February 2013, you notably said, ‘The meat is now down to the bones.’ This was during your address to Parliament while serving as both President and Chair of the Economic Management Team. Yet, today, you continue to lament about the very economy you preside over,” he stated.
He further challenged Mahama’s claims of reducing the size of government, arguing that while there has been a decrease in ministerial appointments, the number of presidential staffers and committees has increased significantly.
“The President says he has appointed fewer ministers, but his strategy is clear—‘if less, more divide.’ There are now more presidential staffers and committees,” Afenyo-Markin asserted.
The Minority Leader described Mahama’s address as offering nothing new, stating that it was a repackaging of familiar concerns without fresh ideas.
“He came to this House with the usual lamentations, only packaging them in a way that makes it seem like we have a fresh start,” he said.
Emphasizing the need for action over rhetoric, Afenyo-Markin urged the President to focus on tangible solutions rather than complaints.
“If the President has any concerns, his duty is to fix them,” he remarked, echoing former President Akufo-Addo’s response to the late President J.E.A. Mills in 2009 when Mills criticized the state of the economy he had inherited.
The Minority Leader’s comments add to the ongoing debate over the government’s handling of economic challenges, as opposition figures continue to demand greater accountability and policy-driven interventions.
