The Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, has called on the President to fulfil the promise he made to Ghanaians and give his assent for the anti-LGBTQI+ bill to become law.
Speaking to newsmen after Parliament passed the bill on Wednesday, February 28, Sam George said, the President must walk his talk and fulfill the promise he made to Ghanaians and the Anglican Church in the Eastern Region by appending his signature to the bill to enable it to come into force.
“It is our hope, our prayer, and belief that President Akufo-Addo will be a man of his word and stick to the words he spoke to the Anglican Church in the Eastern Region when he said under his watch LGBTQ will not be established. When he gave assurances to members of the clergy that he was going to ensure that anything that promoted LGBTQ would be dealt with. There is nothing that deals with LGBTQ better than this bill that has just been passed by Parliament. We expect the President to walk his talk and be a man of his word,” he stated.
The bill being passed by Parliament aims to uphold proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian Family Values, prohibiting LGBTQ+ activities and associated advocacy, promotion, and funding. Offenders face imprisonment, with individuals involved in promotion or sponsorship facing steeper penalties.
Expressing gratitude to fellow MPs, Sam George thanked former Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and Deputy Minister for Education, Rev. Ntim Fordjour for their instrumental roles in ensuring the bill’s passage.
He also highlighted the unity among MPs during the processes leading to the passage of the Bill.
Despite the Bill waiting to be passed into law, Sam George is urging collective efforts between the media and members of Parliament to conduct extensive public education on the bill’s provisions and implications.