Minority accuses gov’t of blocking reintroduction of anti-LGBTQ Bill

The Minority in Parliament has expressed disappointment over what it describes as an attempt by the government to block the reintroduction of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, widely known as the anti-LBGTQ bill.

According to the caucus, it has been five weeks since the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, assured that the reintroduced bill was undergoing final fine-tuning to ensure its smooth passage and implementation.

Despite this assurance, the bill is yet to return to the House for consideration.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Friday, November 21, the lead sponsor of the bill and Member of Parliament for Assin South, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, urged that the bill be reprogrammed on the order paper next week for deliberation.

“It is five weeks since Mr Speaker gave that ruling, and since then no attempt has been made by this House to have the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill addressed, even as the cancer of LGBTQ continues to devastate our norms and culture and threaten our family values in this country.

There seems to be complete silence on this. The House must not create the impression that what was a priority in the Eighth Parliament has suddenly been thrown under the carpet.

“The Speaker declared that it should be on the order paper, but this attempt by the government to block the bill from being featured is a big disappointment to the people of this country. We demand that if it was an oversight or error, it must be corrected, and the bill added to the order paper so that it will be laid and presented for first reading,” he said.

In response, the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, dismissed the claims, insisting that there is no plan by the government to hinder the reintroduction of the bill.

He assured the House of the Mahama administration’s commitment to ensuring the passage of the anti-LGBT bill.