The Chairman of the Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, has responded to claims made by lawyer Foh-Amoaning, who claimed to be opposed to the Anti-LGBTQI bill.
In an interview with Okay FM on December 19, 2023, Anyimadu-Antwi stressed that he is not opposed to the anti-LGBTQI law but is concerned about the escalating politicization of its talks.
He underlined the importance of the law being free of political ties and interests, warning that such partisanship may stymie its advancement.
Anyimadu-Antwi, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Asante Akim Central, stated that he has forgiven Foh-Amoaning for the accusations, attributing them to a lack of knowledge about the events that occurred behind closed doors before the lawyer made his allegations.
The MP emphasized that the committee has proved that his absence does not impede deliberations on the measure, dispelling the myth that he deliberately avoided participation.
“He is right to say what he wants to, but he has no idea about the whole thing, so I forgive him on that…I did a press conference and said that the bill should be devoid of political affiliation and interest because if that happens, the bill will suffer…now we are doing budget estimates, I was in a committee discussing budget estimates, and that was the time they were discussing the LGBTQI, and later on, they accuse me of not being present at the meeting,” he said.
He continued, “So, I forgive Foh-Amoaning because he is not in parliament, so he doesn’t know what happens there. Even the committee has proven to the whole world that in the absence of the chairman, discussions on the bill can still be held. They should not blame me, Kwame Anyimadu. So that is the truth.”
The Executive Secretary of the National Coalition of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values (NCPHSRFV), lawyer Moses Foh-Amoaning, has cautioned Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi about his comments on the bill.
Lawyer Foh-Amoaning said that Anyimadu-Antwi was against the bill during a media engagement on Monday, December 18, 2023, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the NCPHSRFV.
He indicated that the MP will suffer repercussions for opposing the measure.
“Trust me, Anyimadu will pay the price for the position he has taken,” Foh-Amoaning said in response to a question about the recent parliamentary spat between Anyimadu-Antwi and Samuel Nartey George, MP for Ningo-Prampram, over the Committee’s inability to move the bill to the consideration stage due to the chairman’s absence.