NDC Member of Parliament for South Dayi Constituency Rockson Dafeamekpor has asked private legal practitioner, Akoto Ampaw, to reveal the LGBTQ+ group he is representing.
An 18-member group led by Mr Ampaw has called for the scrapping of the anti-gay bill in parliament.
According to them, the bill constitutes an “impermissible invasion of the inviolability and human dignity” of the LGBTI community.
“The bill violates virtually all the key fundamental freedoms guaranteed under the constitution, namely the right to freedom of speech and expression, the right to assemble, freedom of association and the right to organize, the right to freedom from discrimination and the right to human dignity,” Ampaw said at a press conference on Monday (4 October).
But reacting to the call, the MP said the memo is simply seeking the scrapping of the bill contrary to the media report that the group’s advocacy was not about the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ LGBTQ+.
“So they are not even making suggestions to the contents of the bill. It is a wholesome attack against the bill; that it should not be passed at all. That is what they wrote in the memo and they followed it up with a press conference,” he asserted.
He stressed that the group in their memorandum to parliament did not go straight to the point but sought to insult parliament as it describes the conduct of the House as unbecoming of a modern Parliament, making it appear as if the House doesn’t know what it is doing.
He pointed out that the group members fighting the LGBTQ+ bill benefit from the homosexuals in terms of consultations, thus, they have teamed up to fight the bill to protect their interests.
“. . he is fighting for faceless people. If he speaks for a minority group of people, they must be identifiable people and not any imaginary minority . . . we want to know who these minority groups are for which he is fighting for their rights. We will listen to them in parliament, and we will continue to do our work, and if they are not happy with it, they should go to the Supreme Court,” he dared.
“. . he should show me the minority that he knows to be gay and lesbians who have formed an association to conclude that when the bill is passed their rights or freedom will be violated,” he insisted.
Members of the group opposing the anti-gay bill include lawyer Mr Akoto Ampaw; author, scholar and former Director of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, Prof. Emerita Takyiwaa Manuh; a communications and media expert, Prof. Kwame Karikari; the Dean of the University of Ghana (Legon) School of Law, Prof. Raymond Atuguba; and the Dean of the University of Ghana School of Information and Communication Studies, Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo.
The others are the Director of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Professor Dzodzi Tsikata; the Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh; and a former Executive Director of CDD-Ghana, Prof. Kofi Gyimah-Boadi.
Dr Rose Mensah-Kutin, Dr Yao Graham, Mr Kwasi Adu Amankwah, Dr Kojo Asante, Mr Kingsley Ofei-Nkansah, Mr Akunu Dake, Mr Tetteh Hormeku-Ajie, Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, Dr Joseph Asunka and Nana Ama Agyemang Asante are also part of the group anti-bill group.
