The Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompre on the ticket of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) says the current anti-LGBTQ+ bill before the House is “defective”.
The Majority Chief Whip, in a tweet, noted that even though both sides in Parliament support the bill that seeks to make homosexuality criminal in Ghana, there are aspects of the bill that needs to be fixed first.
Mr. Annoh-Dompreh’s response comes on the back of concerns that the Majority Caucus in Parliament is not supporting the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
Deputy General Secretary of the NPP, Nana Obiri Boahene in an interview with Joy FM expressed surprise that NPP MPs have not publicly supported the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
But the Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP noted that the democratic principles and freedoms of the people should not be curtailed by the bill. The anti-gay bill is sponsored by NDC MP for Ningo Prampram, Sam George, and other NDC MPs, with only Reverend Ntim Fordjour, listed as co-sponsor.
But the Majority Chief Whip said the discussion of the issue should transcend political lines. “It’s unfortunate the LGBTQ bill is being politicized. As the majority caucus in Parliament, we agree in principle that legislation that protects Ghanaian values in all areas of life must be supported. However, the bill, as it is now, is defective,” he tweeted on Saturday.
“We need to fine-tune it to ensure that it maximizes the protection of rights and freedoms in consonance with democratic principles as we have practiced uninterrupted for over three decades,” he added.
The bill is currently before Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, receiving memoranda from the general public.
See tweet below:
Credit: Pulse News