By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The Majority leader of Ghana’s Parliament, Mr Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin has revealed that the legislative assembly is yet to submit the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2021 passed by the House to the President for assent into law.
Addressing members of the parliamentary press corps on Monday evening, March 4, 2024, Mr Afenyo-Markin who is the Member of Parliament for Effutu in the Central Region said the seeming pressure being mounted on the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to assent the bill into law is unfounded
He explained that after the passage of the Anti-LGBTQ+ bill which went through several amendments, the drafting department has to compile and ‘tidy it up’ for the authentication of the Clerk to Parliament before it receives a certification of the Speaker for onward transmission to the President for assent.
According to him, the process has not been completed by parliament therefore the bill as passed is still within the precincts of the legislature.
“As we speak, as the leader of the House, I can say on good authority that, we’ve not completed the process. So the public need to know this, so that a certain impression is not created out there that parliament has transmitted the bill to the presidency and all. Nothing has moved to the presidency, infact, Mr speaker is yet to receive the authenticated bill, the Clerk to parliament himself has not yet seen it, the drafting department is still compiling. I have been chasing it myself and they say it requires some time because a lot of changes were done, and as the leader of the House, I don’t have the draft bill, the compiled draft bill” Mr Afenyo-Markin told journalists.
The Majority leader also emphasised the need for the sponsors of the bill to see the final draft before it is submitted to the president.
“The sponsors would have to look at the final draft, and all, as we speak, the sponsors have not seen the final draft, and it is upon the perusal of of this that the clerk to parliament would be required to then authentic. After his authentication, he forwards it to Mr speaker for his certify. So we ve not even completed the first leg of compilation. So nobody should sit somewhere counting days, the reckoning of time would only be triggered upon receipt by Mr President of this bill, so lets take it easy, one at a time” he explained.
Meanwhile, Mr Afenyo-Markin has called for the testing of issues raised by himself and other MPs against portions of the bill at the Supreme court of the land.
The lawmaker reiterated his long held view that even though the value system of the nation does not allow for same sex unions, he does not not believe imprisonment of persons who engage in the act is the right remedy for their reformation.
The bill as passed by parliament on Wednesday intensifies a crackdown on the rights of LGBTQ people imposing up to three years for anyone convicted of identifying as LGBTQ+ and up to a maximum of five years for those promoting and funding lesbian, gay or other non-conventional sexual or gender identities.
However, the Efutu lawmaker proposes non-custodial sentencing regime instead; emphasizing that tolerance is part of the Ghanaian value system.
He is of the firm believe that the testing of provisions of the Bill at the law court will bring finality of the issue.
