Parliament Yet To Transmit ANTI-LGBTQ+ Bill To The President-Majority Leader

Ghana’s Parliament has not yet submitted the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2021 passed by the House to the President for assent into law, Majority leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin has stated.

Addressing members of the parliamentary press Monday eveninig, Mr Afenyo-Markin who is the Member of Parliament for Effutu in the central region said the seaming pressure being mounted on President of the Republic Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to assent the bill into law are unfounded.

He explained that after the passage of the Anti-LGBTQ+ bill which went through several amendments, the drafting department has to compile and tidy it up for the authentication of the Clerk to Parliament before it receives a cerfication of the Speaker for onward transmission to the President for assent.

According to him, the process has not been completed by parliament therefore the bill as passed is still within the precints of the legislature.

“As we speak, as the leader of the House, I can say on good authority that, we’ve not completed the process. So the public need to know this, so that a certain impression is not created out there that parliament has transmitted the bill to the presidency and all. Nothing has moved to the presidency, infact, Mr speaker is yet to receive the authenticated bill, the Clerk to parliament himself has not yet seen it, the drafting department is still compiling. I have been chasing it myself and they say it requires some time because a lot of changes were done, and as the leader of the House, I don’t have the draft bill, the compiled draft bill” Mr Afenyo-Markin told journalists.

The Majority leader also emphasised the need for the sponsors of the bill to see the final draft before it is submitted to the president.

“The sponsors would have to look at the final draft, and all, as we speak, the sponsors have not seen the final draft, and it is upon the perusal of of this that the clerk to parliament would be required to then authentic. After his authentication, he forwards it to Mr speaker for his certify. So we ve not even completed the first leg of compilation. So nobody should sit somewhere counting days, the reckoning of time would only be triggered upon receipt by Mr President of this bill, so lets take it easy, one at a time” he explained.

Meanwhile, Mr Afenyo-Markin has called for the testing of issues raised by himself and other MPs against portions of the bill at the supreme court of the land.

The lawmaker reiterated his long held view that even though the value system of the nation does not allow for same sex unions, he does not not believe imprisonment of persons who engage in the act is the right remedy for their reformation.

The bill as passed by parliament passed on Wednesday intensifies a crackdown on the rights of LGBTQ people imposing up to three years for anyone convicted of identifying as LGBTQ+and up to a maximum of five years for those promoting and funding lesbian, gay or other non-conventional sexual or gender identities.

Mr Afenyo-Markin however, proposes non-custodial sentencing regime instead emphasising that tolerance is part of the Ghanaian value system.

He is of the firm belive that the testing of provisions of the Bill at the law court will bring finality of the issue.

By: Christian Kpesese