The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George, has said the group of fifteen renowned Ghanaians who want parliament to thrash the anti-LGBTQ bill is to make money from pro-gay groups and activists.
Some individuals have sent a memorandum to parliament to thrash the anti-LGBTQ bill before the house as it violates most of the fundamental human rights of Ghanaians.
The individuals which include legal practitioners and professors stated that aside from violating the key fundamental freedoms under the constitution, the bill also violates the dignity and inviolability of every person guaranteed under Article 21 of the constitution.
“The Bill violates the right to inviolability of the person. It violates virtually all the key fundamental freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution, namely the right to freedom of speech and expression; the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and belief; the freedom to practice any religion and to manifest such in practice (which includes the freedom not to practice any religion); the right to assemble, including the freedom to take part in processions and demonstrations; the freedom of association and the right to organize- in essence, the fundamental human rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution,” the individuals stated in a memo.
The memo further noted that: “In addition, the provisions of the Bill violates the dignity and inviolability of every person, guaranteed under Article 15; it violates the principle of equality before the law, and the right to freedom from discrimination on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, creed or social-economic status, guaranteed under Article 11, as well as the right to privacy guaranteed under Article 18 of the Constitution.
“In short, the provisions of the Bill are so egregious in their violation of the fundamental human rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution that it beggars belief that it could be introduced as a Bill in the House of Parliament.”
The team pushing for the bell to be thrashed includes Akoto Ampaw, Prof Emerita Takyiwaa Manuh, Prof Kwame KariKari, Prof Kofi Gyimah-Boadi, and Prof Audrey Gadzekpo.
The others are Dr. Rose Kutin-Mensah, Dr. Yao Graham, Prof Dzodzi Tsikata, Prof H. Kwasi Prempeh, Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, Dr. Kojo Asante, Akunu Dake, Tetteh Homerku-Adjei, Prof Raymond Atuguba and Kofi Ofei-Nkansah.
Sam George speaking on the development questioned the motive of the group opposing the anti-gay bill.
He claimed that the group is only against the bill for financial gains.
According to him, “Go and check all the Civil Society Groups they belong to and check where their funding sources are and then you’ll understand that this is a bread and butter issue for them. Because if they say they don’t support the act and that they are fighters for the rights of people, why were they silent when the issue of the rasta boys came up, why the two Rastafarian boys do not have rights? When Kaaka was killed, which of them rose up to speak? when eight Ghanaians were killed in the conduct of the 2020 elections which of these eighteen individuals, who today tell us that they are doyens of human rights, fighters of freedom for human rights which of them spoke?”
“They claim they are doing this on the basis of principles, I say it’s a financial monetary principle because if you have principles, your principles will show constantly in your activism. I have given instances over the past ten months when they’ve not spoken, they’ve been silent. Today, because there’s LGBT money to be paid they’ve found their voices,” he said on Accra-based Starr FM.
