The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, says the House’s leadership will not obstruct any decision by the Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee to open up proceedings at the committee level on the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill to the public.
At the consideration stage, only the Chairman of the committee concerned can decide to open up proceedings at the committee level to the public, he said.
The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill has generated broad public interest due to sexual orientation.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, the Majority Leader said the committee would be allowed to take its own decision on the request for a public hearing on the memoranda and petitions presented on the Bill.
According to him, there is nothing to hide, and the committee will be provided with a siren environment to do its work.
“Parliament shouldn’t have anything to hide because the issues are out there in the public space. So if the committee decides to have public hearings, I wouldn’t have anything against it. However, our standing orders provide that at committee levels, sittings should be in-camera unless the Chairman otherwise decides.”
“So we want them to have that siren atmosphere, to do that consideration. So if they decide to open it up, I am not sure leadership will stand in their way.”
Many persons and institutions have filed memoranda in support of the Bill and to help fine-tune it.
A number of renowned legal, academic and civil society professionals have also filed documents challenging the legislation.
In the memorandum, they contend that the Bill is an “impermissible invasion of the inviolability of human dignity.”
They further argued that pushing through the Bill will be to challenge Ghana’s constitution and democracy.
Some Christian leaders have also shown massive support for the Proper Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill.
