• The opening of an LGBTQ+ office in Ghana triggered his interest to act
• He says the involvement of Western diplomats in pro-LGBTQ+ advocacy was the final push for him
Ningo Prampram Member of Parliament Sam Nartey George has had a busy last few weeks doing advocacy and counter advocacy all in one.
Advocating for and being the face of an anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, LGBTQ+ bill that is set to be laid before Parliament next week before the house goes on recess.
The second-term MP has engaged in public defence of his stance against what he describes as an alien to our culture and has faced off with a number of local celebrities and a British politician, Seb Dance, over his anti-LGBTQ+ views.
But what motivated Sam Nartey George to take up this advocacy?
In an interview on Monday, July 26, 2021 on Citi TV’s ‘Face To Face’ program, the lawmaker disclosed that two main factors triggered his decision to champion the anti-LGBTQ+ bill properly titled: ““The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values, Bill 2021."
The two factors he said were the opening of an LGBTQ+ advocacy office in Accra earlier this year and more worrying, the involvement of some Western diplomats in the opening ceremony – notably the Australian ambassador and the EU representative in Ghana.
He told the program host: “Diplomats are bound by the Vienna convention not to get involved in the local politics of a country or issues of contention in the host countries and definitelty not to engage in any illegality in the host country.
“Seeing High Commissioners, Ambassadors, Reps of the EU at that function (opening of the advocacy center) in blatant violation of the Vienna Convention really, really ticked me off.
“And for me, I made two calls immediately; I made a call to the president to shut down the office and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to sanction those ambassadors, as far as I am concerned, publicly I am not aware of any sanctions.
“But thankfully the president immediately acted, sent national security, shut down the place but then we needed to send a strong message, none of these ambassadors would have tried this if their host country was Saudi Arabia or any of the Gulf States,” he added.
He then wondered how the diplomats would respect values and customs elsewhere but refuse to do so within the Ghanaian context. “Does it mean that they do not give Ghana the recognition and respect as a sovereign state?” he quizzed.
“And we have legislative power, so I made a statement on the floor of the house and in making my statement, spoke of my intention to pass a Private Members’ Bill that will criminalize fully – the full gamut of homosexuality,” he stressed.
Currently, the bill is at the draft stage and will be laid before the house and subsequently expected to be referred to the appropriate committee for consideration.
The Ningo Prampram MP insists that LGBTQ+ tendencies are not human rights but preferences that need to be regulated within the context of what Ghanaian society and culture accepts.
The bill has the full blessing of Speaker Alban Bagbin who is on record to have said he is pro-life and will ensure that the bill is passed into law as soon as possible.
Sam George is MP for Ningo Prampram