Member of Parliament for Assin South, John Ntim Fordjour, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to prove his commitment to family values by endorsing a private member’s bill aimed at criminalizing LGBTQ+ activities rather than pushing forward with a separate government bill.
Ntim Fordjour expressed concerns that Mahama’s intention to introduce a government-sponsored bill on the same subject could diminish the importance of private member-sponsored bills, which are a key part of Parliament’s standing orders.
This statement comes in response to President Mahama’s recent announcement of ongoing consultations with the Speaker of Parliament regarding the reintroduction of the Proper Family Values Bill, which seeks to ban LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana.
In an interview on Friday, February 28, Ntim Fordjour highlighted that he and other MPs had reintroduced the bill in Parliament.
He encouraged the president to back the existing private member’s bill and added that any further provisions could be added later if necessary.
“If thereafter the president thinks that there are other areas he finds extra legislation to address in addition to what has been provided for in the bill, then it is well in place,” he stated.
“For him to discount a private member’s bill, he must be reminded that Parliament is an independent institution and that the executive cannot dictate to Parliament what it must do. Rather, Parliament will cooperate with you as a state if you sponsor your bill,” he added in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on Channel One TV.