The UK Parliament has invited members of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, which are considering the anti-LGBTQ bill, to visit the House of Commons for a meeting.
The committee, composed of 18 members examining all questions relating to constitutional, legal and parliamentary issues in general, is currently holding a public hearing on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021.
The draft legislation seeks to criminalise homosexuality and its allied sexual orientations and make advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people a crime in the country.
The committee, which is chaired by NPP MP for Asante-Akim Central, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi has Bernard Ahiafor, NDC MP for Akatsi South as the Ranking Member, with John Ampontuah Kumah (NPP MP for Ejisu) as Vice Chairperson and Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu, NDC MP for Madina as Deputy Ranking Member.
Other members are Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh (NPP MP Sunyani East), James Agalga (NDC MP Builsa North), Cletus Apul Avoka (NDC MP Zebilla), Joseph Kwasi Mensah (NDC MP Nkoranza North), Alfred Obeng-Boateng (NPP MP Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai), Bright Bakye Yelviel Baligi (NPP MP Lambussie), and Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer (NPP MP Sekondi).
The rest are William Owuraku Aiddo (NPP Afigya-Kwabre South), Bismark Tetteh Nyarko (NDC MP Upper Manya Krobo), Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor (NDC South Dayi), Kojo Oppong Nkrumah (NPP MP Ofoase Ayirebi), Ursula Owusu-Ekuful (NPP MP Ablekuma West), Jocelyn Tetteh (NDC North Dayi), and Mahama Ayariga (NDC MP Bawku Central).
Chairman of the Committee, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, told TV3 at the weekend that Britain wants to have discussions with the committee members over the draft legislation, and that four of its members had been invited to the UK Parliament for a three-day meeting.
“The invitation came to the Speaker and the Speaker forwarded it to the Committee. Four members of the committee, including myself and the ranking member will be attending this important meeting.
“We will take off on Sunday. We were supposed to have gone today (Saturday), but because of flight arrangements, we will go on Sunday and walk into the meeting [on] Monday morning and by Wednesday we are done,” he disclosed.
The UK Parliament’s invitation comes after discussions on a perceived delay of work on the anti-LGBTQ bill deteriorated into a dogfight in Parliament last week amidst shouting matches.
The opposition lawmakers had launched attacks on the person of the committee’s chair and the government, accusing them of deliberately delaying the process to deny the draft legislation from becoming a law.
Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, even threatened to block the passage of government bills in the House if the chairman continuously used “tortoise method” to deal with the bill at the committee level.
But the Majority caucus, which took exception to the attack on the committee and its chairman as well as the government, rebutted Minority’s claims of deliberate delay of the passage of the bill.
Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, quizzed, “Mr. Speaker, why has the Chairman of the Constitution and Legal Affairs Committee been singled out for blame? Why is it being personalised? We have leadership of a committee. Why has Hon Muntaka kept quiet on the Ranking Member on the committee from their side?”
He continued, “We all know how committees work. The Chair and Ranking Member must confer and agree. The Chairman cannot single-handedly take decisions. It is very rich to hear the Minority Chief Whip going after a respected member of this House, whose record is not in doubt.”
“Mr. Speaker, if this is not an agenda with the main aim of setting up a grand agenda, then I am sure the new drama is about to unfold. It means the peace of this House is likely to be disturbed. Because, Mr. Speaker, he did not just make the statement. He interlaced it with threats, and I know when he normally keeps quiet and looks down, I know what he is about,” he submitted.
By Ernest Kofi Adu