Making statements about the inexistence of a sufficiently strong coalition and how its presence might instigate processes for the legalisation of homosexuality in Ghana amounts to giving homosexuals pointers through which they can push the agenda for the endorsement of LGBT in Ghana, this is according to General Secretary for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia.
Speaking at a press conference, Thursday, November 30, 2017, Mr. Asiedu Nketia expressed displeasure at comments made by President Akufo-Addo regarding the country’s stance on homosexuality in Ghana.
President Akufo-Addo in an interview on Aljazeera last week indicated a likelihood of homosexuality being normalized and accepted as a culture in Ghana if there is an emergence of a strong coalition that speaks and advocates for its legalisation.
"I don't believe that in Ghana so far, a sufficiently strong coalition has emerged which is having that impact on public opinion that will say change it, let's then have a new paradigm in Ghana.”
“….At the moment, I don’t feel, I don't see that in Ghana there is that strong current of opinion that will say this is something that we need you to deal with, It is not so far a matter which is on the agenda.”
Following mass criticism of the comments by a section of Ghanaians, some party bigwigs have emerged to defend the president, many of them explaining that Akufo-Addo’s comments were in no way suggestive of the fact that his government wanted to justify homosexuality.
But Asiedu Nketia has condemned the President’s remarks which he says has laid a firm foundation and will empower homosexuals with enough information on how to champion their course and get results.
“Some people are saying that when His Excellency the President said that, he didn’t mean to support gayism, I have a different interpretation, completely because he has said it is bound to happen and he has laid the conditions under which it will happen. It’s like a coach telling you if you play it this way and that way, you’ll score the goal”.
He argues that President Akufo-Addo has by this, put himself in a compromising situation such that demands from the gay community to meet and strategise on how to voice out their concerns will be difficult to reject.
“Ask yourself that if the international gay community now decides to hold a conference in Accra and they need his permission, what will he do? You say the momentum is not there, we want to now gather the momentum so we want to come and begin the momentum, will you allow us in or you won’t allow us in?”, he quizzed.
For him, the culture of a nation should determine which practices will be accepted and which will be abhorred. Letting people have their way in the name of disposition will mean that even thieves and armed robbers should also be given the chance to practice what they are inclined towards just because they say so, he maintained.
“Human rights must be based on your traditions and customs, the fact that some people think that their orientation is in a certain way doesn’t force us as an independent country to amend our laws to suit them otherwise why are we not abolishing the criminal laws? Don’t you think that there are people who are inclined to steal? Then all kinds of socially deviant behavior is characteristic of certain people so then allow it to happen”.
Copyright © 1994 - 2024 GhanaWeb. All rights reserved.
