Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament Addresses British MPs on LGBTQ+ Bill and Investment Threats

Ghana’s Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has stated that Africa is not afraid of threats of withdrawal of investments and international aid. During a meeting with members of the British House of Lords and the House of Commons, Bagbin noted that these threats and other stringent economic measures have not affected Africa’s efforts to protect its culture, values, and societal norms.

He emphasized that engagement and understanding are needed to solve problems, and not boycotts and threats. Bagbin’s statement was in response to the concerns raised by British Members of Parliament regarding the law passed in Uganda on the LGBTQI phenomenon and the bill on Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values before Ghana’s Parliament.

Bagbin defended the efforts by Parliament to legislate on the promotion of human sexual rights and family values in Ghana using the country’s constitution as a compass. He explained that there is nothing wrong with the efforts, and there is an urgent need for legislation in the area of LGBTTQR± in Ghana.

The Legislature had engaged in very wide and broad consultations while working on the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill. Members of the Select Committee working on it had held consultations in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, European Union, and Canada, among others, for a deeper appreciation of the issues at stake.

According to Bagbin, the approach to the Bill was to “think global and act local.” The Speaker assured Ghanaians that curtailing human rights was not the target of the Bill, but rather it was about the protection of rights and values.

He said the Legislature had engaged in very wide and broad consultations while working on the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill. Members of the Select Committee working on it had held consultations in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, European Union, and Canada, among others, for a deeper appreciation of the issues at stake.

For the most part, Bagbin emphasized the importance of Parliament’s role in the legislative process, and the need for the Executive not to interfere. He noted that Ghana’s democracy is based on the rule of law, not the rule of man. The role of the President is to assent to bills submitted by Parliament, however, final legislative powers rest with the legislature, not the Executive. Bagbin’s statement is a clear indication that Ghana is committed to protecting the rights and values of its citizens.

Source: GNA