Anti-gay bill: Bagbin’s call is for Parliament to unite against the autocratic tendencies of Akufo-Addo – Ato Forson

The Minority in Parliament has said they are ready to protect the sanctity of the constitution of the Republic of Ghana.

Therefore, they say they support the decision by the speaker that they will not consider President Akufo-addo’s ministerial nominees until after the Supreme Court has ruled on the two cases against the anti-gay bill.

The Minority says they want the President and his government to be aware that where this country is going is strange under his watch and the NDC Minority will not countenance it.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to conclude by saying that, the Right Honourable Speaker has made an important call. A call for Parliament to unite against the autocratic tendencies of our President and this government.

“We, in the NDC minority, are ready to protect the sanctity of the constitution of the Republic of Ghana. And we stand with the Speaker of Parliament in this. Let the President of Ghana and his government be aware that where this country is going is strange under his watch and the NDC Minority will not countenance it,” the Minority Leader Dr Cassiel Ato Forson said at a press conference in Parliament on Wednesday March 20.

Speaker Bagbin, had earlier said that Parliament will not consider the ministerial nominees of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo until after the Supreme Court has finished hearing the suit against the anti-gay bill.

The speaker said this on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, March 20 while responding to the letter written to the House by the President’s Secretary Nana Bediatuo Asante asking the Clerk of parliament not to remit the bill to the president.

“In alignment with our constitutional mandates and the principles of good governance, it is essential for the President to adhere to the lawful course of action by accepting the transmission of the bill. Upon receipt, the President has the constitutionally provided options to assent to the bill, refuse it, or seek further consultation, as deemed necessary. As we move forward, it is the collective responsibility of all branches of government, and indeed all citizens, to uphold the constitution and ensure that our democratic practices are not only preserved but strengthened.

“The current impasse presents an opportunity for reflection and reaffirmation of our commitment to the principles of democracy, rule of law, and the unequivocal respect for the legislative process that forms the bedrock of our nation’s governance. I reiterate that the refusal to even accept the bill for consideration falls outside the legal bounds established by our constitutional framework. It is incumbent upon the President to accept the bill and take the necessary action within the prescribed constitutional limits, whether that action is assent, refusal, or referral to the Council of State for advice.

“Article 106(7) says ‘Where a bill passed by Parliament is presented to the President for assent, he shall signify within seven days after the presentation, to the Speaker that he assets to the bill or that he refuses to assent to bill, unless the bill has been referred by the President to the Council of State under article 90 of this Constitution’. The Parliament of Ghana will comply with the existing legal framework and reject the attempts by the Executive Secretary of the President, through his contemptuous letter, to instruct the Clerk to Parliament, an Officer of Parliament whose position is recognizably under the Constitution. We shall not cease and desist!

“Be that as it may, Hon Members, I also bring to your attention, the receipt of a process from the Courts titled Rockson-Nelson Etse K. Dafeamekpor vrs. The Speaker of Parliament and the Attorney -General ( Suit no. J1/12/2024) which process was served on the 19th of March 2024 and an injunction motion on notice seeking to restrain the Speaker from proceeding with the vetting and approval of the names of the persons submitted by His Excellency the President until the provisions of the constitution are satisfied.

“Hon. Members in the light of this process, the House is unable to continue to consider the nominations of His Excellency the President in the “spirit of upholding the rule of law “ until after the determination of the application for interlocutory injunction by the Supreme Court,” he said.

Parliament unanimously passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill 2024 (also known as the anti-LGBTQ bill) on Wednesday, February 28.

Also, persons who publicly identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, an ally, or pansexual face between two months and three years of imprisonment.

The president later indicated his inability to the bill until after the Supreme Court had finished hearing the suit filed against the bill.

He, therefore, advised the President “not to take any step in relation to the Bill until the matters raised by the suits are determined by the Supreme Court”.

Read the full letter below:

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