Founder of Danquah Institute, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has asked the Speaker of Parliament to take a look at how he attained his current position before ruling that deliberation and voting on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill will be made public.
Speaker Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin made the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill Parliament’s top priority when the House resumed from recess.
In his opening remarks, the former Nadowli-Kaleo Member of Parliament (MP) said he will ensure that the public knows where every MP stands on the bill that, when passed, will clamp down on LGBTQ+ and other related activities.
But reacting to this in a tweet on Thursday, Mr Otchere-Darko threw a subtle question to the Speaker he described as his “good friend”.
The Danquah Institute founder asked, “My good friend Mr Speaker must first ask himself where would he have been today if MPs didn’t have a secret ballot on January 6?”
My good friend Mr Speaker must first ask himself where would he have been today if MPs didn’t have a secret ballot on Jan 6? https://t.co/Sc4Xi79h8Q
— Gabby Otchere-Darko (@GabbyDarko) October 28, 2021
In August, eight parliamentarians jointly submitted a private bill to push for the criminalisation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer and their related (LGBTQ+) activities in the country.
The proponents also want the promotion, advocacy, funding, and acts of homosexuality to be forbidden in the country.
Since the controversial bill was made public, opposers have argued that should it be passed into law, it will violate the fundamental human rights of individuals who identify with the group.
The bill is currently with the Parliamentary Committee that has since called on citizens to submit documents stating their positions on the bill.