The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has urged President Nana Akufo-Addo and Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin to collaborate in ensuring the implementation of the people’s will regarding the controversial Human Sexual Rights and Ghana Family Values Bill, also known as the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill.
Currently, there is an impasse over the transmission of the Bill from Parliament to the Presidency.
The President halted the transmission of the anti-gay bill, while the Speaker of Parliament suspended the approval of new ministerial nominees citing a court case.
This deadlock has left many Ghanaians disheartened, questioning why two organs of state cannot work together to safeguard the country’s values and cultural systems.
In a media interview, Reverend Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, emphasised the need for both the Executive and Legislature to collaborate in the public interest.
He stated that the Bill is supported by the majority of Ghanaians and urged President Akufo-Addo to respect the decision of the people as expressed by their representatives in Parliament.
“We’re surprised that at this time the President has not signed it yet. People can go and make their cases anywhere, anytime but as to whether the President should listen to Supreme Court orders of some individuals’ presentations, before he assents or not we don’t know if the law provides for that.”
“When this law has come from the people and it has been passed by Parliament, I do not find any basis the President will stand on it and say he will not assent to the Bill.”
“We call on them to do what is law, what the Constitution provides because they are making all of us worried. This one is a novelty, that is why we are not sure whether there’s a provision for that. If there’s no provision why should the President wait,” Reverend Gyamfi quizzed.