Former President John Dramani Mahama is of the assertion that President Akufo-Addo will not approve the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill also known as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
Mr Mahama criticized the government for not promptly facilitating the approval and enactment of the bill three years after it was introduced.
He disagreed with the President’s argument that passing the bill would result in additional costs for the government and impose pressure on the state’s Consolidated Fund.
“The bill in parliament has not been passed yet, but the government has shown that if the law is passed, the president will not assent to it. The Attorney General says the private member’s motion can be passed, but it should not come at a cost to the government. The president, based on that technicality, will not sign the bill into law. Between Parliament and the Executive, they will have to check and see if they can take off any cost from the government so that the President will sign,” he said.
Flagbearer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has made his position known on the identification and activities of the LGBTQ community in the country.
According to the former president, Ghana cannot accept or condone the activities of the LGBTQ community. He argues that such a practice or lifestyle goes against the Christian faith.
He rubbished the claim that a man can decide to alter his sex and be addressed as a trans man or woman.
“My faith is against LGBTQ. I am an Assembly’s of God Member. The faith I have does not agree with a man marrying a man and a women getting betrothed to another woman.
“Personally, I don’t agree with that. A man is a man and a woman is a woman. I do not agree with the assertion that people say I feel like I am a girl when I am a boy, so I am going to have surgery.
“God created us as man and woman and he knew what he was doing. So if you ask me, my personal faith is against LGBTQ,” he said.
The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill also known as the LGBTQ Bill has been debated on for close to three years after being sent to Parliament by some eight MPs including Ningo-Prampram MP, Sam Nartey George in 2021.
Speaker Alban Bagbin reassured the public that the bill would be passed before Parliament adjourns for the Christmas and New Year break but that has not been the case.
The Chairman of the Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament, Kwame Anyimadu Antwi, has proposed the deletion of Clause 4 of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill.
Clause 4 of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill creates an offense related to undermining proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values.
He argues that the clause is ambiguous and highly subjective in nature, a decision made following engagements with the Attorney-General, hence the need to delete it.
Quoting recommendations from the Attorney General, Godfred Dame, Mr. Anyimadu Antwi said, “Though this clause creates an offence relating to undermining proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values what constitutes ‘undermine’ is not defined and therefore the basis of the offence cannot be determined.
“Mr. Speaker this is the advice the learned Attorney General gave to the committee and the entire committee agreed on this advice. And that’s why we agreed as has been said by ranking that it was too much of subjectivity and ambiguities and that is why we propose that in deleting and creating an offence we shouldn’t be having ambiguities and subjectivities. That is why the proposal is to delete the entire clause.”
Meanwhile, the sponsors of the bill are not enthused about the recommendation made. South Dayi MP, Rockson-Nelson Defeamekpor said that clause was integral to the entire bill and thus deleting it would be erroneous.
“Mr. Speaker the essence of four is so cardinal to this legislation. So, so cardinal, so, so fundamental to it. I’ve been struggling to appreciate the point made by the ranking member that this offence in article 39, he’s not been able to point it out.
“The subjectivity element that he points to that, too I am struggling to appreciate.
“Because you see when we enacted the provision this way, subject to the enhancement contained in the amendments listed thereafter, there will be investigations if somebody makes a complaint that clause four which subsequently will become section four has been breached, that is not the end of it. Investigations will be conducted. It is the investigation that will establish a prima facie that indeed clause four subsequently section four of the law has been breached or not,” he explained.
Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill has received divided opinions, with some Ghanaians calling for its approval while others, such as Amnesty International discouraging its passing.