The Member of Parliament for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has criticised the newly passed Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, arguing that extensive amendments have weakened the legislation and stripped it of its intended deterrent effect.
According to him, the current version of the bill is materially different from the one passed by Parliament in 2024 and presented for presidential assent.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Rev. Ntim Fordjour accused the government and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of significantly altering the bill before securing its passage last Friday.
He claimed that the revised legislation underwent substantial changes, including several deletions, insertions and redrafted provisions.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour described the current legislation as a weakened version of the original and questioned the government’s decision to amend it despite earlier promises to pass it without changes.
“They wanted the bill to be signed during our time. Their promise was that when they came to power, they would sign the bill without changing anything. They have made 22 deletions and 31 insertions. It is not the same as the old bill,” he stated.
According to him, all that was required was presidential assent, recalling calls by the NDC while in opposition for former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sign the bill into law.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour argued that President John Dramani Mahama campaigned on a promise to sign the bill but later insisted on amendments before approving it.
He questioned whether the changes reflected the commitment made to Ghanaians during the election campaign.
“The promise was clear: vote for me and I will sign the bill. They did not say they would amend it, review it, delete provisions and redraft it before signing it,” he said.
The Assin South MP described the development as a breach of trust and accused the government of abandoning its earlier position on the legislation.
He further argued that the bill passed by Parliament no longer contains the strong enforcement mechanisms envisioned by supporters of the original proposal.
According to him, the amended legislation cannot be regarded as the same bill Parliament approved in 2024.
“They have changed it extensively, and what we have today is materially different from what was passed in 2024. You cannot subject a bill to 22 deletions and 31 insertions and still claim it is the same bill,” he said.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour warned that removing key provisions could undermine the objectives of the legislation and potentially weaken efforts to address issues the bill was designed to tackle.
He questioned what informed the NDC’s change of position, insisting that if the original bill was fit for assent under the previous administration, it should have been presented to President Mahama in the same form.
Despite his concerns, he stressed that he remains supportive of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill and Parliament’s authority to legislate.
“Our concern is that the bill has substantially lost the force, bite, deterrent effect and efficacy that it carried in 2024,” he stated.
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