Majority is not obstructing the anti-gay bill - Anyimadu Antwi

Chairman of the Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee in Parliament, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, has countered accusations of sabotage by certain Majority MPs against the Promotion of Proper Human Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly referred to as the anti-gay bill.

At a press briefing held in Parliament, Samuel Nartey George, the MP for Ningo-Prampram, alleged that some Majority MPs were swayed by interests supporting LGBT causes in the country, obstructing the bill's progress.

Nevertheless, in an interview, Anyimadu-Antwi clarified that the issues causing delays were known to Sam George, citinewsroom.com reports.

He mentioned that the bill took a different turn during Committee discussions, especially regarding the rehabilitation of individuals within the broader LGBTQ+ spectrum which Sam George is aware of.

Mr. Antwi said, “The bill has been here, and we have not prosecuted it because the religious bodies came to the Speaker because it got to a point that we were looking at the rehabilitation of people that will fall as victims of the LGBTQ+, and the Speaker suggested that we meet with the religious bodies to see how best we can incorporate that into the bill and our initial response was that it may not be sustainable.

"But I discussed it with the Ranking Member, who said that we have to do one workshop and iron out quizzes, and last week, I went to the Speaker’s office, and he asked me about this bill and I told him that we need to do something on this bill before we can go ahead and do it or prosecute it, ” he added.

He further said, "Leadership has not drawn my attention that we should go ahead and do consideration on this bill, and at any rate, this is not the only bill at the consideration stage. The Intestate Succession Bill has also been there and nobody thinks of prosecuting it, and then we have the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill on page 24 and when the Speaker called me. If we start today, there is no way we can finish these amendments before this meeting ends, so why should I start it?”

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