Speaker’s decision to make anti-LGBTQI+ bill sittings public will ensure transparency – Anyimadu-Antwi

The Chairman of the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee of parliament, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, has observed that the decision of the Speaker to make the sittings of the anti-LGBTQI+ bill public will ensure transparency.

“The Speaker, Alban Bagbin’s decision will make the processes transparent however, any other committee work, such as considering modalities for the public hearing, will be private,” he stated.

Mr Anyimadu-Antwi, the  Member of Parliament (MP)for Asante-Akim Central in the Ashanti Region, clarified that what Mr Bagbin referred to was when the Committee heard the petition because they were going to invite the petitioners and listen to their argument but when the Committee itself sits to actually deliberate on their own, they would not be in camera.

He indicated that those who petitioned the House would be invited and “if they want the cameras to be there, we will not have a problem” and backed the Speaker’s decision to hold the committee’s deliberation on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill public.

Sam George, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram in the Greater Accra Region, the lead sponsor of the bill, proffered that beyond the public sittings, he expected voting on the bill to be public and not by secret ballot.

He noted that it would allow the citizenry to know the stands of every legislator on the issue since it would be Parliament’s top priority after resuming from recess.

According to Mr Bagbin, “I will ensure the public knows where every Member of Parliament stands on the bill, which is meant to legislate against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQI+).

In August, eight parliamentarians jointly submitted a private bill to push for the criminalisation of LGBTQI+ activities in the country, the proponents also want the promotion, advocacy, funding, and acts of homosexuality to be forbidden in the country and since the controversial bill was made public, those opposing have stated “if passed into law, it will violate the fundamental human rights of individuals who identify with the group.

The bill is currently with the Parliamentary Committee that has since called on citizens to submit documents stating their positions on the bill. –myjoyonline.com