The Minority Group in Ghana’s Parliament has given clear indications that it would not cooperate with the Majority Group to consider and pass other Bills before Parliament if it continues to delay the consideration and passage of the Bill nicknamed “Anti-gay Bill” which is currently before the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
The Bill which is named, the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values, is a Private Members Motion filed by some Minority Members of Parliament in a bid to outlaw gay and homosexual acts in the country. The controversial Bill aims at tightening the noose on the vague provisions of the country’s laws on all related activities concerning homosexuality.
“You are deliberately wasting time and delaying the Bill at your Committee and I can assure you and your front bench with what you have done and trying to justify, no bill will pass through this House without our resistance,” the Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, gestured in protest.
“If you say what I am saying is a lie, work hard in a week and you will be able to bring the report but you are deliberately wasting time because you don’t want the Bill and that is a fact,” he added.
The Group has accused the Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi of deliberately delaying the Bill at the Committee level beyond the three month period permitted.
Backing the Minority’s protest for the undue delay on the Floor of Parliament on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, the Minority Chief Whip, argued that the unusually cumbersome stakeholder engagement procedure adopted by the Chairman of the Committee is the cause of the delay.
According to the Chief Whip, the Chairman deliberately ignored the advise to hold a one off engagement with the public and then handle the rest at the Committee level and at plenary. But rather chose a winding process.
He said, “You opted to use a vehicle that gave people unfettered time meanwhile you know of the Constitutional provision, Article 106 (4) which states that a Bill introduced to this House shall not be delayed for more than three months at any Committee.
“If you realized there will be a delay the only thing you do as a Chair is come back and tell the House because of such and such reasons there will be some delays.”
The Member of Parliament for Ho, Hon. Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah had earlier raised concern about the Bill during the presentation of the Business Statement on Tuesday and the time it is taking the Committee to present its report.
In his defense, the Chairman of the Committee indicated that private hearings have commenced after the public hearing as part of the timetable of the Committee.
According to him, he was surprised at the posture of the MP who first broached the issue because just last week, they had an in-camera meeting with all the sponsors of the Bill, where Hon. Kwasi Bedzrah was also invited to the meeting.
“I want to set the records straight that the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs is on course so far as the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill is concerned,” he stated
Source: Clement Akoloh||parliamentnews360.com
