Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, Ohene Kwame Frimpong, has criticized a remark made by former Minister of Information, Fatimatu Abubakar, regarding the English proficiency of majority MPs.
In an interview with an Accra-based television station on February 16, 2025, Abubakar claimed that most Members of Parliament, particularly those from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) serving on parliamentary committees, struggle to express themselves in English, rendering them largely silent in the chamber.
Reacting to this, Ohene Kwame Frimpong, popularly known as OK Frimpong, condemned the statement, describing it as unfortunate and inappropriate for a government official.
He argued that all MPs undergo a rigorous process to attain their positions and are well aware that English is the primary language used in parliamentary proceedings. Therefore, suggesting that some MPs remain silent due to language barriers is, in his view, an unfair assertion.
“It’s an unfortunate statement, i don’t think that it was the best for the former minister to say that. We all go through certain processes to become a member of parliament, and we know that English language is used through almost all the processes. So if you’re saying that someone cannot express themselves because they cannot speak English properly, I think that that is very unfortunate, and so I don’t agree with her,” he said.
