The Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has dismissed calls by the Minority in Parliament for President John Dramani Mahama to apologise over the government’s handling of the anti-LGBTQ bill.
His remarks follow concerns raised by the Minority over what it described as attempts to introduce LGBTQ-related concepts into Ghana’s Constitution through the ongoing constitutional review process.
Speaking at a press conference on 7 April, the Member of Parliament for Assin South and sponsor of the anti-LGBTQ bill, John Ntim Fordjour, cited recommendations on pages 107 and 108 of the Constitutional Review Committee’s report as evidence of what he described as troubling developments.
The Minority subsequently called on the President and the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to apologise to religious and traditional leaders for allegedly failing to prioritise the bill.
Responding to the claims on The Pulse on JoyNews on Tuesday, 7 April, Mr Kwakye Ofosu rejected the demand.
“What is there to apologise for?” he questioned. “Are you telling me that what matters most to the public is the LGBTQ issue and not their welfare? Is that what the NPP is pushing?”
He criticised the Minority’s stance, arguing that the government’s primary focus remains the welfare of citizens, particularly in areas such as job creation and economic stability.
“So the President should go and apologise for making the welfare of Ghanaians his priority? Is that what they are calling you for? Where is the logic in this?” he asked.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu also expressed concern about what he described as misplaced priorities by the opposition.
“Why do they waste their time in the manner that they do? Should the president apologise for saying that the youth of Ghana having jobs is a priority? He should apologise for saying that?” he added.
He further questioned the timing of the Minority’s renewed push on the anti-LGBTQ legislation, suggesting that the issue was not treated as urgent when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was in government.
“Indeed, if it were a priority for them (NPP), why did they not sign it when they were in power? When did it become a priority for them? Only when they left power?” he asked.
