President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Matthew K. Gyamfi, has warned that recent comments by the presidency on the LGBTQ bill could slow down parliamentary action on the legislation.
Speaking on PM Express on Joy News Tuesday, he expressed concern that the President’s position that the bill is not a priority may influence how Parliament handles the matter.
His comments come amid ongoing debate after the presidency indicated that the LGBTQ issue is not currently a priority for the country, despite earlier assurances that the President would assent to the bill if passed.
Drawing parallels with the past, Bishop Gyamfi said, “You see, we have seen this before….the former president,….Nana Akufo-Addo has said openly that he was going to sign this bill.”
He noted that previous mixed signals created uncertainty.
“At the same time, he made contradictory statements on different occasions, probably favouring the LGBTQ group, telling them they also have certain rights, etc.”
According to him, the outcome raised concerns. “And you see that finally, when he got to his desk. We don’t know whether it’s technicalities or he just didn’t want to sign, but we realised that he did not sign.”
He cautioned against a repeat of that situation.
“That we do not want a repetition of that. When the President has said our I will sign and now he says it’s not a priority, so we should be very careful that we do not have a repeat of what has happened.”
Bishop Gyamfi stressed that even though Parliament is independent, the President’s words carry weight across the system.
“Let me also state that right now, we are very concerned about what the President’s statements may have on parliament.”
He added, “Parliament is independent, and parliament is the one that is discussing this law. But we should not overlook the fact that when the president of the nation makes a statement, it has an effect and influence on all sectors of the Ghanaian community, including parliament, which is discussing this law.”
Raising key questions about the legislative process, he said, “Will it slow Parliament down? Will Parliament push it aside? You should not say that these are impossible.”
He urged lawmakers to proceed with their mandate.
“But we pray that Parliament goes ahead put the bill on the President’s desk for the President to sign. So all we are doing is encouraging Parliament.”
He emphasised respect for parliamentary procedure while calling for action.
“Parliament must go ahead with its work, its promise that the speaker has made, and send the bill to the President’s desk.”
At the same time, he acknowledged limits to external pressure.
“And we cannot hurry up the President and Parliament’s processes, we cannot push them, and that is why we have been very quiet, because we can’t push Parliament.”
He expressed hope that the process will be completed within the current parliamentary term.
“They have their own processes, and we expect that within this parliament, by the end of this parliament, the bill would have been placed far ahead of time on the president’s desk for him to sign.”
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