• Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has openly backed the bill and says the house will pass it
• But Madina MP says whatever the speaker says about it are his personal views
The Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu has submitted that Parliament as a house has yet to take a position on a draft law seeking to ciminalize Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer activities in the country.
He adds that the views of the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin who has openly expressed support for the bill does not reflect the view of the house despite being a popular sentiment in society.
Sosu, a human rights lawyer, was speaking late last week to TV3’s parliamentary correspondent after the now controversial bill found its way into the public domain.
Asked about Bagbin’s open support for the bill, he responded: “I think that we must understand that the speaker is a man of his own. He is an astute lawyer, lawmaker before rising to become a speaker, and so absolutely I respect his views, I respect what he stands for as far as this piece of legislation is concerned.
“However, the speaker alone does not pass laws, the speaker relies on the representation of the people and that is why we are all here. I believe what the speaker said are his personal views and how he feels about this piece of legislation,” he added.
He is however quick to admit that the support of the speaker gives the bill some gravitas: “Of course what he feels … is going to either promote what we call the popular sentiment of Ghanaians when it comes to issues of gay rights.”
The 36-page draft document is a Private Member's Bill titled: "The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values, Bill 2021."
It is led by the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam George, and seven (7) other MPs.
Currently, it is at the draft stage and will be laid before the house and subsequently expected to be referred to the appropriate committee for consideration.
Sam George spent the better part of Saturday (July 23) on social media defending the need for the bill which he insists is a necessity in preserving the moral and cultural values of Ghanaians in general.
Speaker Alban Bagbin