Stop the pressure on Akufo-Addo to sign the Anti-LGBTQ+ bill immediately – Ghanaians told
|
Listen to this article
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Prof. Smart Sarpong, a Senior Researcher at the Kumasi Technical University, says the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, should not be compelled to assent to the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
Parliament, on Wednesday, February 27, passed the anti-LGBTQ+ bill by a unanimous decision to uphold Ghana’s proper human sexual rights and family values.
The bill criminalizes the promotion, advocacy and every act of homosexuality.
Culprits will face a jail term of 6 months to 5 years.
The President has come under pressure to sign the bill, however the international community has condemned the bill describing it as “deeply harmful” and an infringement on human rights.
Do you want the best Odds? Click Here
The US ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Evelyn Palmer, and High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk have both asked the President to cancel the bill.
Nonetheless, many Ghanaians who support the bill have asked the President not to hesitate in appending his signature to the bill to make it a law.
Renowned lawyer and Executive Secretary for the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, Moses Foh-Amoaning, in an interview on 3FM, warned the President saying if he refuses to sign the bill, there will severe consequences for him and his New Patriotic Party.
“If he refuses to sign, it would be very easy the NDC will just package the NPP as ‘Trumu, Trumu’ party,” he said.
Discussing the bill during Peace FM’s morning show “Kokrokoo”, Prof. Smart Sarpong asked those calling for quick presidential assent to exercise restraint and allow the President to peruse the bill before he agrees to it.
“We can’t say the President should sign it immediately. What is he signing? Give him the room to peruse it. Even if he can’t make any changes, he must know what he is signing”, he remarked.
He, however, implored the President to do the needful after reading the bill saying “it is protecting the majority. This is not a law that is going to hunt the minority but rather to protect the majority . . . at least, about 99 percent of Ghanaians are for this bill”.
