I can’t feel pressured - Akufo-Addo on anti-LGBTQ+ bill

• Akufo-Addo says the subject of the LGBTQ+ bill in no way puts pressure on him

• The president is calling for a civil discourse on the matter

•Akufo-Addo says tolerance should prevail amidst public discourse

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says he is not pressured with regards to the anti-LGBTQ+ bill before

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According to him, he is rather glad a private bill is being pushed by private members as they have been fighting for this so a long time.

He adds that the bill is currently before parliament and he is waiting to see how it goes. “It’s in parliament, it’s a private members’ bill – we’ve been fighting for a long time for the opportunity for private members to sponsor bills in parliament, I believe this is the first that is being sponsored under this opening that has been given –parliament is looking at it and let’s see how the process develops”.

Asked if he feels pressured about it, Mr Akufo-Addo said: “I can’t feel pressured”.

Speaking about the bill on Accra-based Peace FM on Thursday, 21 October 2021, President Akufo-Addo said he hopes the argument will be civil while tolerance prevails.

“We’re talking about public opinion, we are talking about the legitimate processes that are being used”, he noted.

“What I would hope for is that the debate itself would be civil and that we will recognise the need for us to be tolerant of each other even when there are opposing views”.

“I was, for instance, impressed by the intervention of some very renowned, well-positioned people within the civil society sector of our country, coming forward to express their views on the matter”, he added.

“I think that it would be a credit to Ghanaian democracy if this matter is handled in the correct manner”, the president stressed.

“I believe the reference has been made to the Constitutional and Legal Committee, appropriately. That’s a committee that looks at the issue of rights and constitutionality of legislation in our parliament.

“I hear that over 130 memoranda have been submitted to them. I am anticipating that they will all be looked at closely before they can come to some consensus”, he further mentioned.

“The Chairman of the committee has spoken about what are his preoccupations which I think are very legitimate – be satisfied about the constitutionality and legality of what is being proposed. All these are part of the mix and I’m hoping that the process will be conducted in an acceptable manner and at the end of the day, we will know what the legislature, the position that it will take on the issue," President Akufo-Addo told Host Kwame Sefa Kayi.

Background:

A team of 8 MPs, led by Samuel Nartey George, have jointly submitted a private bill to push for the criminalization of LGBTQI+ activities in the country. The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021 was laid in the House on Monday, August 2 and read for the first time.

Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, subsequently referred the Bill to the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Committee for consideration. He urged the public to submit memoranda on the bill

It is based on this a group of 18 renowned lawyers, academics and other professionals sent a memorandum to parliament for the bill to be thrashed, stating that it violates the fundamental human right guaranteed in the constitution.

Ghanaians have however, bashed them for their position against the bill but they have clarified that their call for the bill to be thrashed is based on the fact that it violates all the fundamental human rights in the constitution and not that they are in support of gayism and lesbianism.

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