The last day of the debate on the mid-year budget presented by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, ended with a controversy on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.
Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, stoked the controversy when he took his turn to address the House and finalise the points made by New Patriotic Party MPs.
The MP asserted that female Members of Parliament of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lacked courage because they did not contribute to the debate on the budget.
The Effutu MP noted that the House witnessed a presentation from three female MPs on the Majority side of the House, but none stood up from the minority side.
“On our side, the Majority, we gave opportunity to three women to speak. Honorable Abena Osei Asare spoke, Sheila Bartels spoke, honorable Gifty Twum Ampofo spoke. Of the 20 women from the Minority side, none of them had an opportunity to comment on this statement, none of them.
“We have lawyers, we have development specialists, we have social activists. No woman from the Minority side had the courage to speak, to comment on this matter,” the Deputy Majority leader stressed.
But the Minority side did not take his comment lightly.
NDC MP for Adaklu Constituency in the Volta Region, Kwame Governs Agbodza retorted that the Minority side equally has courageous women.
He, therefore, called on the Majority leader to withdraw his statement.
“My colleague was given the opportunity to speak. He started by saying that no woman on the minority side had the courage.
“Mr. Speaker, if you respect women, you will not speak about women like that. There are courageous women here. So, Mr. Speaker, it is wrong, and I encourage you to withdraw that statement,” Mr Agbodza stressed.
The Deputy Majority Leader eventually withdrew and apologised for the comment.