Lead sponsor of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, John Ntim Fordjour, has expressed frustration over what he describes as a deliberate attempt to stall the reintroduction and passage of the anti-LBGTQ bill in the Ninth Parliament.
Raising the issue on the floor of Parliament, he criticised the continued absence of the bill from the Order Paper, despite a clear ruling from the Speaker that nothing prevents it from being laid.
“Mr Speaker, it has been six weeks since the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill… was featured on the Order Paper. The next day, it was removed, and some disputed reasons were given. A week later, the Speaker of Parliament gave a ruling… that nothing prevents the bill from being laid. It is five weeks from the time the Speaker gave that ruling.”
He said that the silence around the bill was unacceptable. “Since then, no attempt has been made by this House to have the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill to deal with the canker of LGBT devastating our norms and culture… And there seems to be a very, very, very conspicuous silence on this.”
Mr Fordjour warned that Parliament risked creating a damaging impression that the Ninth Parliament had abandoned a bill that enjoyed overwhelming support in the previous Parliament.
“The attempt by this government, by blocking this bill… is a big disappointment to the people of this country. To the over 93% of Ghanaians who believe that marriage is between a man and woman, it is a big disappointment to them.”
He demanded that the bill be restored to the Order Paper next week. “If it was oversight or error, it must be added to the Order Paper so that next week it is laid and presented for first reading because on record, it has satisfied all the processes.”
The call comes just days after President John Dramani Mahama publicly assured Ghanaians that he would not hesitate to sign the bill once Parliament passes it.
Responding, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga dismissed suggestions that the government was blocking the bill. He insisted the NDC Majority and the Mahama administration remained fully committed to passing the legislation.
“The government of President Mahama and the NDC Majority… we are all very committed to the passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.”
He reminded Mr Fordjour that he had previously advised that the fastest route to passage was to treat the bill as one already passed by the Eighth Parliament, an option he said the Minority rejected.
“If you had listened to my advice… by now, we would have left it squarely in the hands of the presidency to sign. But because I didn’t get that support from you, the position became that it hasn’t been passed, and so we must take it through all these processes.”
He assured the House that the bill was still being processed, saying, “It is going through the mail and will come back to this House. It is not an attempt by the government.”
Mr Ayariga also cited the President’s commitment. “President John Dramani Mahama has indicated time and again that any moment that the bill is brought before him, he will expeditiously sign it.”
The Majority Leader questioned Mr Fordjour’s renewed urgency, adding, “Even though in the 8th Parliament, I really didn’t see you actively involved in having this bill passed. I know you were a sponsor of the bill, but as we considered it, I didn’t really see much of your involvement.”
“And then I didn’t see much of your own personal involvement. And so I am surprised that all of a sudden, you think that this is an urgent matter that must be a priority in terms of the work of this house. When we were all putting pressure on President Akuffo-Addo to sign, I didn’t see you helping us to put pressure on President Akuffo-Addo. I didn’t see you. I didn’t see you resisting. And now you have found your voice…”
The majority leader said that, however, the Majority is firm in its position, “I can assure you that we are very committed to having the bill introduced and passed.”
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