Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, the Chairman of the Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee in Parliament, has refuted the alleged acts of sabotage by some Majority MPs against the passage of the Promotion of Proper Human Rights and Family Values Bill, also known as the anti-gay bill.
During a press conference in Parliament on Wednesday, MP for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, claimed that some Majority MPs had been influenced by individuals with an interest in promoting LGBT activities in the country, thereby hindering the process.
However, Anyimadu-Antwi in an interview clarified that the Ningo-Prampram MP is aware of the issues causing delays in the passage of the bill.
He explained that the bill took a different turn when the Committee discussed rehabilitating individuals falling under the larger LGBTQ+ umbrella, a fact known to Sam George.
“The bill has been here, and we have not prosecuted it because the religious bodies came to the Speaker because it got to a point that we were looking at the rehabilitation of people that will fall as victims of the LGBTQ+ and the Speaker suggested that we meet with the religious bodies to see how best we can incorporate that into the bill and our initial response was that it may not be sustainable, but I discussed it with the Ranking Member, who said that we have to do one workshop and iron out quizzes and last week, I went to the Speaker’s office, and he asked me on this bill and I told him that we need to do something on this bill before we can go ahead and do it or prosecute it.”
“Leadership has not drawn my attention that we should go ahead and do consideration on this bill and at any rate, this is not the only bill at the consideration stage. The Intestate Succession Bill has also been there and nobody thinks of prosecuting it, and then we have the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill on page 24 and when the Speaker called me. If we start today, there is no way we can finish these amendments before this meeting ends, so why should I start it?”
