The Minority Caucus in Parliament has accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) of abandoning its earlier stance on the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly known as the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, following significant amendments made to the legislation after assuming office.
In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) reaffirmed its opposition to the normalization, promotion and protection of LGBTQ+ practices in Ghana, describing its position as consistent with the views of the majority of Ghanaians.
The Minority said the original version of the Bill was unanimously passed by the Eighth Parliament in 2024 after extensive debate and reflected the cultural, religious and moral convictions of the Ghanaian people.
According to the NPP, the NDC, then in opposition, resisted efforts to amend the Bill and strongly criticized delays in presidential assent at the time.
The statement further claimed that the NDC portrayed concerns about the Bill’s constitutionality as support for LGBTQ+ causes and used the issue as a political tool against the NPP during the 2024 election campaign.
The Minority argued that having campaigned on support for the Bill and secured electoral victory, the NDC-led administration was expected to facilitate its passage into law without major changes.
However, the NPP said the reintroduced Private Members Bill has undergone 31 amendments, which it described as a fundamental departure from the NDC’s previous position.
“The NPP holds that this heavily amended Bill represents a clear departure from the NDC’s 2024 position and a fundamental breach of faith with the Ghanaian people,” the statement said.
The Minority also questioned what it described as inconsistencies within the government over the Bill. It cited comments by President John Dramani Mahama suggesting that Parliament may not have had the required quorum when the amended Bill was passed, as well as differing positions taken by the Speaker of Parliament and the Majority Leader on the way forward.
According to the NPP, these developments suggest attempts to delay or frustrate the enactment of the legislation while managing political fallout from changing positions on the issue.
The statement further referenced remarks made by President Mahama during a recent engagement at Chatham House in London, where the President reportedly indicated that his administration was not rushing to make the Bill law. The Minority also claimed to have received information suggesting assurances were given to British officials that the Bill remained far from enactment.
The NPP said such actions, if confirmed, would represent a significant shift from the urgency with which the NDC pursued the legislation while in opposition.
The Minority maintained that the central issue was no longer public support for the Bill but whether the NDC could be trusted to uphold commitments it made before taking office.
It called for the 2024 version of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill to be passed in its original form and forwarded to the President for assent.
“The Bill passed in 2024 by the 8th Parliament which President John Dramani Mahama pledged to assent to, must be passed in its original state and transmitted for presidential assent,” the statement said.
The NDC had not responded to the allegations at the time of publication.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
