LGBTQ bill will be passed in weeks, not months Majority Chief Whip Dafeamekpor

The Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Etse Dafeamekpor, says Parliament could pass the controversial LGBTQ bill within weeks as the legislative process enters its final stages.

Speaking on PM Express on Tuesday, the South Dayi MP disclosed that the committee handling the bill had completed its work and would lay its report before Parliament on Thursday.

“The report will be laid on Thursday,” he said.

“Report is ready. It will be, in fact, two of them, that one plus I believe, the interstate succession.”

According to him, the committee has finished deliberations, and Parliament is now ready to move quickly through the remaining stages of the process.

“Yes, the committee has done its work. They will be laying the report on Thursday,” he stated.

Mr Dafeamekpor explained that once the report is laid, lawmakers can immediately begin debate during the second reading stage before adopting the report and moving into consideration.

“When it’s laid, we can take the report, debate it, that’s as part of the principles for second reading, and adopt it,” he said.

“Once it’s adopted, we move into consideration.”

He indicated that Parliament could even proceed with the consideration stage the following day and complete passage of the bill shortly after.

“Consideration, we can even decide to do consideration on Friday, and pass,” he stated.

The Majority Chief Whip argued that Parliament was already familiar with the contents of the proposed legislation because a similar version had previously been passed.

“You see, the Ghanaian family values bill, we have already passed it; it was a certain president who decided not to sign,” he said.

“So the terms of the bill are essentially what parliament had already passed.”

When asked whether the legislation would be passed this year, Mr Dafeamekpor replied confidently that the timeline would be much shorter.

“Yes, in a couple of weeks, not even months,” he said.

“We’ll pass it once we do the second reading on Thursday or Friday, and with consideration, we can pass it.”

He also defended the decision to move quickly on the bill, insisting Parliament was not starting the process from scratch.

“But when we do consideration expeditiously, let the NPP not shout that we are abusing the certificate of urgency,” he said.

“It will be rapidly done, because we cannot be reenacting what we have already read.”

المصدر: MyJoyOnline (GH)