The Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has defended the current anti-gay bill before Parliament for consideration.
Addressing some representatives of the British House of Lords and the House of Commons, the Speaker raised the urgency for Ghana to have some form of legislation regarding the activities of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex (LGBTQIA).
Mr. Bagbin noted that the bill’s aim is to promote family values.
In his view, “there is nothing untoward; nothing wrong with the efforts by Ghana’s Parliament to legislate on the promotion of human sexual rights and family values in Ghana, using our constitution as a compass.”
He was speaking at a meeting with an array of Members of the British House of Lords and the House of Commons at Westminster in London.
Speaker Alban Bagbin also assured that contrary to speculations that rights would be curtailed, Parliament is aware of the human rights provisions in the Constitution.
“Any legislation that detracts from the human rights and freedoms guaranteed by our constitution will be a candidate for litigation in our court of law,” he stated to allay fears.
When asked about the role of the President on the subject, Alban Bagbin said the President’s job is to accent to bills submitted to him.
He further stated that the President can make recommendations for the consideration by the House, however, parliament has the final say regarding legislative powers.
He reaffirmed his stance that parliament would not tolerate any interference from the executive arm of government while stressing that “Ghana’s democracy is based on the rule of law, not the rule of man.”
He also told the British parliamentarians that Africa is not deterred by threats of withdrawal of investments and international aid.
He rather suggested that the international community support one another when any member country has a problem.