The Minority in Parliament has criticised the government for what it says is a deliberate attempt to delay the reintroduction of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, popularly known as the anti-LGBTQ bill.
According to the caucus, it has been five weeks since Speaker Alban Bagbin announced that the revised version of the bill was undergoing final fine-tuning to facilitate its smooth passage. Yet, the bill has still not been brought back to the House for consideration.
Raising the issue on the floor of Parliament on Friday, November 21, the lead sponsor of the bill, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, MP for Assin South, urged that it be scheduled on the order paper next week.
“It is five weeks since Mr Speaker gave that ruling, yet no attempt has been made by this House to address the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, even as the cancer of LGBTQ continues to devastate our norms and threaten our family values,” he said.
He warned that Parliament must not give the impression that a bill considered a priority in the previous Parliament has been abandoned. Ntim Fordjour alleged that the government is blocking the bill from being listed for discussion, a development he described as disappointing to Ghanaians. He insisted the matter be corrected if it was due to an oversight.
However, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga rejected the claims, stating that the government has no intention of obstructing the bill’s return and assuring the House of the Mahama administration’s commitment to ensuring its passage.
READ ALSO:
