At last: Parliament begins consideration of LGBTQI Bill

The consideration stage of the ‘Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021’ took off on Friday after several advertisements on the Order Paper, the daily programme outline of Parliament.

It comes after assurances by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, that the Bill would be passed before the House adjourns on December 22 following a disagreement between the Majority and Minority caucuses on the commencement on Wednes­day.

“The bill will see the light of day before the House rises for the Christmas and New Year break.

“I know that nobody in this House is opposed to the bill and I know the bill will see the light of day before we rise because the people of Ghana are expecting us to pass the bill before we go on recess. Failure to do so will have serious consequences on members as they want to advance in their political careers,” the Speaker said on Thursday.

In view of that assurance, the Speaker had to proceed with the consideration despite the absence of the Chairman of the Consti­tutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Kwame Any­imadu-Antwi, who was earlier seen in the House.

In his place, the Ranking Member and representative of the Akatsi South Constituency, Bernard Ahi­afor, led the process to set the tone for the consideration stage.

Initially scheduled for consid­eration on Wednesday, the com­mencement of the consideration of the Bill suffered a jolt when the First Deputy Speaker, Joe Osei-Ow­usu, held that the process could not go on in the absence of the Committee Chairman following an application made to him by the leadership of the majority.

That decision infuriated seven of the eight sponsors of the Bill, led by Ningo-Prampram MP, Sam George, to accuse the majority and the second deputy speaker of con­niving to frustrate the process.

Mr Anyimadu-Antwi on Thurs­day told the media that the claims of the sponsors of the Bill were baseless and warned that “any attempt to clothe this Bill with political colours will suffer non-pas­sage of the Bill.

“The moment it is clothed with a political colour, I am sure my people will support me and we will have a stalemate in the passage of the Bill.”

However, taking his seat at Friday’s sitting of the House, the Speaker proceeded to chair the maiden consideration phase himself.

Containing 17 proposed amend­ments, the House considered Clause one of the Bill which had five amendments.

The controversial Bill which has attracted international attention seeks to provide for proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values; proscribe LGBTQ and re­lated activities; proscribe propagan­da of, advocacy for or promotion of LGBTTQQIAAP and related activities; provide for the protection of and ensure the protection and support of individuals, especially children, associated with LGBTQ matters.

 BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI

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