Sponsor of the controversial Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has called on Parliament to immediately act on the Speaker’s ruling that the Anti-LGBTQ Bill must be reintroduced in the current session.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, earlier ruled that the bill must be reintroduced since all unfinished business from the 8th Parliament expired with its dissolution.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Tuesday, October 28, the Assin South MP said the Speaker’s decision confirms the position earlier held by the Minority, who had maintained that the bill expired with the 8th Parliament and must therefore go through the full legislative process again in the 9th Parliament.
“So the Speaker has ruled, and his ruling is consistent with the position we [Minority] held when we expressed our surprise at the point that the Majority Leader raised in the Speaker’s absence.
“We insisted that wherever they had taken the bill for which it disappeared from the Order Paper, we will fight until it reappears on the Order Paper for first reading to be taken and for the subsequent processes to be undertaken for its ultimate passage,” he stated.
He noted that Parliament must back its words with concrete action, urging that the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill should reappear on the Order Paper immediately.
“What we expect is that, beyond rhetoric, from every actor, by tomorrow, the bill must appear on the Order Paper. If tomorrow it doesn’t appear on the Order Paper, then whatever was said today is just mere rhetoric.”
Rev. Fordjour further warned that the sponsors of the bill will not accept any delays in the legislative process following the Speaker’s ruling.
“We are looking forward to tomorrow — the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill reappearing on the Order Paper for the first reading to be taken, for consequential referral to the Constitutional and Legal Committee, and for the rest of the process to be undertaken,” he added.
“We will not accept that the first reading be deferred to next week or any other later date. It has to be done as the matter has been concluded by the ruling of the Speaker. We want to see action. We want to see Parliament walking the talk. And if it doesn’t appear, we will explore our options.”