Veteran lawyer Moses Foh-Amoaning has slammed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his response to a question on the anti-LGBT bill being considered by Parliament at a joint press conference with the Vice President of the US, Kamala Harris.
According to him, Akufo-Addo missed a great opportunity to tell the whole world about Ghana’s stance on the issue of LGBTQI+ rights.
Speaking in an Oyerepa TV interview monitored by GhanaWeb, Foh-Amoaning, who is the executive secretary of the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, added that Akufo-Addo should know that his power as president is derived from the people of Ghana, whom he is supposed to represent.
“One person who has surprised me the most, on the LGBT brouhaha, is my good friend, the president. Because he had the opportunity to state Ghana’s position on the matter and he failed.
“The president can have his views on LGBTI, but at that moment he was representing the people of Ghana. Article 1 of the Constitution states that sovereignty resides in the people of this country, and all the powers of the arms of government are supposed to be exercised for their well-being and on their behalf,” he said in Twi.
Foh-Amoaning reiterated that Akufo-Addo should have stated the activities that the customs of Ghana permit rather than saying that he has the final say on the bill if it is passed by Parliament and he will ensure that the rights of Ghanaians are not infringed.
What Akufo-Addo said:
At the joint press conference, both President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Kamala Harris were confronted with the issue of the criminalization of LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana.
Responding to the question at Jubilee House, in Accra, on Monday, March 27, President Akufo-Addo refuted the suggestion that Ghana already had an anti-LGBT law.
He said that the anti-LGBT bill, which was championed by “only a hand full of MPs”, is currently being considered by parliament.
Akufo-Addo added that even if the bill is passed, it will still have to be ratified by him. He also said that the anti-LGBT bill has been modified.
“The legislation was a private members bill; it is not an official legislation of the government but it is one that is being muted by a hand full of private members.
“My understanding from the recent discussion I had with the chairman of the committee is that the substantial elements of the bill have already been modified as a result of the intervention of the Attorney General,” he said.
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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (left), Lawyer Moses Foh-Amoaning