Ntim Fordjour alleges exemptions for NGOs, envoys and others in newly passed Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill

The Member of Parliament for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has alleged that the Majority caucus of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Parliament has altered provisions of the recently passed anti-LGBTQ+ Bill.

He claimed that several clauses were removed and new ones “smuggled” into the legislation.

Speaking on JoyFM Super Morning Show during a discussion on the controversial bill, he alleged that about 22 provisions were deleted from the original draft, while 31 new provisions were introduced during the legislative process before the bill was passed and transmitted for presidential assent.

“While the president (John Mahama) is waiting for the bill to come so that he can sign it, there are others who are also saying within the same party (NDC) that there are 22 things that are problematic, unconstitutional in the old bill (the anti-LGBT bill prepared under the NPP administration) they held, and that it must be deleted before they can be sent to the president. Indeed, they went ahead to delete 22 original provisions and introduced 31 new insertions, and so the outcome of this bill is different from the bill that was passed then,” he explained.

Rev. Ntim Fordjour also claimed that one of the introduced provisions exempts certain categories of individuals from punishment if they promote LGBTQ-related activities in the country.

According to him, the alleged exemptions apply to foreign envoys, representatives of non-governmental organisations, and officials of the United Nations operating in Ghana.

“The exemption they put there is that a certain category of persons, so long as they are undertaking their professional mandates, can promote LGBTQ, they are immune from the law, which is bizarre and unfair,” he said.

The bill, which has generated significant public debate, is currently awaiting presidential assent following its passage by Parliament.

Meanwhile, President John Mahama, speaking on Monday, June 1, in a discussion on the bill at London’s Chatham House, said that there are some objections to the bill and so he would not be in a hurry to assent until they are corrected.

READ ALSO: Anti-LGBTQ law still faces scrutiny before my assent – Mahama

The allegations add a new layer of controversy to the already divisive legislation, which continues to draw mixed reactions from political actors, civil society organisations and international stakeholders.

The MP added that the NDC, before winning the 2024 elections, campaigned against the NPP for failing to pass the bill into law and promised that, if given the chance, they would pass the same document into law.

He therefore expressed surprise that, now in power, they are failing to pass the bill as expected, while also removing and adding provisions.

Listen to the full conversation with the MP below;

المصدر: MyJoyOnline (GH)