Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi
Members of the Majority Caucus in Parliament yesterday warned their Minority counterparts against politicising the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, popularly known as the anti-gay bill.
The NPP MP for Asante Akim Central, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, who also chairs the Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, stated that any attempt to colour the bill with politics will result in its failure to pass.
The strongly worded comments came after the NDC MP for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George, at a press conference accused the Majority side of fighting against the Bill.
He questioned a move by the leadership to reach out to the sponsors of the bill and allegedly asked them to “step down the bill.”
However, Mr. Anyimadu-Antwi has rebutted the claims of the NDC MP and accused him of acting in “bad faith” during a counter press conference in Parliament.
He also said the passage of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill would depend entirely on non-politicisation.
According to him, after the committee presented its report, the House Speaker, Alban S.K. Bagbin prompted members of the committee “on an issue which I cannot discuss here because he advised me as a Chairman in confidence.”
“I discussed this with my Ranking Member and also discussed with some sponsors of the bill that there was a need for us to meet as a committee and discussed this before we consider this bill by away of consideration only to be heard that the Minority and for that matter some sponsors of the bill had come to do a press conference.
“I think this is in bad faith. The press conference that was organized was in bad faith and they should desist from that,” he asserted.
He pointed out, “It is important to note that all MPs agree that we must prosecute this bill, and therefore I must warn that any attempt that anybody will want to clothe this bill with political colours will suffer non-passage of the bill.”
“Most reverend ministers are saying it is a good bill and we must pass it. We must pass a bill that will become an ACT that will withstand the test of time and therefore we have to iron out all quizzes,” Anyimadu-Antwi said.
“The most serious part of this is that yesterday I overheard my friend, Sam George, casting insinuations at the First Deputy Speaker,” he intimated.
“He was saying that when the main Speaker is not there and the First or Second Deputy Speaker takes the chair, he won’t want to prosecute this bill.
“In this House I am not aware as a Chairman that you get up and start prosecuting your agenda, irrespective of whether you are ready or not,” he noted.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House