The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has urged leaders of Ghana’s two major political parties to stop rewarding members whose public contributions are characterised by insults and abusive language.

He warned that recognising individuals for inflammatory remarks could encourage others to adopt similar behaviour in an attempt to gain attention and recognition within their political parties.

“I add this to both political parties' leaders. Don't reward only bitter tongues. That is what I have observed up to date,” he said.

Speaker Bagbin made the remarks during an emergency sitting of Parliament on Tuesday, September 29, to address growing concerns about the use of insults in public life.

He said the tendency to reward such conduct risked making abusive language appear to be an acceptable way of participating in political debate.

“That encourages others to copy that because that is how they will be recognized. We are not going to entertain that anymore,” he added.

The Speaker's comments come as Parliament considers concerns about the tone of public discourse and the responsibility of political leaders and elected representatives to promote respectful engagement.

He called on political party leaders to recognise that leadership requires more than defending party positions and mobilising supporters. It also involves setting standards for how members communicate, particularly when discussing opponents and matters of national importance.

Speaker Bagbin said MPs had a particular responsibility to demonstrate restraint because their statements and conduct often influence public conversations.

He acknowledged that political disagreements and strong criticism were legitimate in a democratic society, but insisted that they should not be confused with personal attacks.

“Please, robust disagreement is legitimate. Strong criticism is legitimate. Holding government, the opposition, the Speaker, leadership and every institution of state to account is legitimate,” he said.

“But insult is not argument. Abuse is not scrutiny. And the deliberate use of language calculated to demean persons or institutions adds nothing to the quality of our democracy.”

He also expressed concern about the language used by some MPs both inside and outside Parliament, saying elected representatives should uphold the standards expected of people entrusted with public office.

According to him, Parliament must be willing to examine the conduct of its own members while calling on journalists, broadcasters, bloggers, content creators and other citizens to exercise responsibility in their public engagements.

Speaker Bagbin said political leaders could not credibly demand restraint from the public without demonstrating the same discipline themselves.

“Leadership in this matter cannot simply consist of asking citizens to moderate their language. It requires those who occupy positions of public trust to demonstrate by their own conduct that political disagreements can be vigorous without becoming destructive,” he said.