USE YOUR HUGE MAJORITY NUMBER TO PASS Anti-LGBTQ BILL URGENTLY

The Hon. Member of Parliament for Bosome Freho, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, has urged Parliament to pass the anti-LGBTQ bill immediately under a certificate of urgency, saying the Government has huge majority numbers and has also minority and public backing to do so.

Speaking during the Second Reading of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill on the floor of Parliament today Nana Ayeh commended the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee for presenting the bill and praised its sponsors for their consistency.

Nana Ayeh argued that the bill was a key campaign issue for MPs and gave religious leaders grounds to criticize the previous administration. He said there was confusion over whether the last Parliament transmitted the bill to the presidency for assent, but stressed that the process is now clear.

“We have a welcoming majority that can even take a day to pass this bill,” he said. “Just like we passed the Gold Board bill, just like we did the E-Levy bill with a certificate of urgency, it is important that we add some urgency to this LGBTQ bill so that we can pass it today, if possible, for the President to assent to it tomorrow.”

Nana Ayeh cited broad religious support for the legislation, mentioning the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Pentecost, the clergy, and charismatic churches as groups ready for the bill to become law.

“We can stay overnight just like we stayed overnight for the Gold Board bill. You have the numbers, the overwhelming numbers, to pass the bill now,” he told the Majority.

On his part the Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has disclosed that the Anti- LGBT bill will be passed by two weeks time.

According to him, he can not stand against the passage of the bill in his right senses.

He said this on the floor of parliament during the debate on the Anti- LGBT bill when the sponsored of the bill presented their report on the floor of Parliament.

Story reported by Joe Amoateng, Parliament House, Accra