Di Ghana catholic bishops conference and oda civil society groups don begin to put pressure on di new goment to sign di kontri anti-LGBTQ bill into law.
Dis na afta di ex president Nana Akufo-Addo refuse to sign di bill wey di kontris parliament bin pass on 28 February 2024.
Di ex president tok say im go take action on top di human sexual rights and family values bill afta di Supreme Court decide on two cases wey one lawyer and human rights advocate initiate against di bill.
But even afta di Supreme Court rule on di matter – na until di president sign di bill into law bifor pesin go fit carry di case go di Supreme Court to challenge am sake of “di court only fit exercise jurisdiction on somtin wey be act or somtin wey already be law”.
Di Supreme Court for 18 December 2024 tok say at dis stage, di cases against di anti-LGBTQ bill no fit hold until di president sign am to become law.
Na so many pipo bin expect say di ex president Nana Akufo-Addo go now take action on di bill bifor im go step down from office on 7 January.
But im neva take action on di bill wey im neva sign am into law.
Na so di leadership of di catholic bishops conference for one meeting wit di new president John Mahama on 14 January tok say make im “reintroduce di bill and sign am as soon as possible.”
Oga of di catholic bishops conference most reverend Matthew Gyamfi tok say make di new goment no drag dia feet for dis matter anymore.
“Wetin we want na say make you pass dis bill into law quick quick, witout delay. Many Ghanaians don support dis bill so we no want make una take technicalities to scatter wetin di pipo of Ghana want,” Rev Gyamfi tell President Mahama.
Wetin President Mahama tok
Ghana President John Mahama don tok say for di law to go forward, na goment suppose sponsor am instead of di current one wia lawmakers for parliament don sponsor.
“I neva know wetin di current sponsors and promoters of di bill wan do, but I tink we gatz tok about di bill and if we don deicide say we go take am forward wit consensus, den e neva for be private member bill,” di president explain.
Im add say “na goment bill e for be, wit di backing of di goment afta consultation wit all di stakeholders to see how we go fit move am forward”.
John Mahama explain say “as far as I know, since di ex president Akufo-Addo no gree to sign di bill, like oda bills wey dem no sign bifor di 8th or oda parliaments don expire, dis bill also don die be dat; di bill don expire”.
Di president also bin tok say if dem don dey teach di kontri values for schools, “to sign anoda bill to enforce our family values no go be necessary. So we gatz get curriculum wey go teach our children dis values as dem don dey grow up so we neva go need law. But I dey look forward to di review conference so we gree in some of dis issues”.
But di catholic bishops conference say di fact say dem for teach good values for school no mean say di kontri neva dey need a law for dis mata.
“Wetin we want be say make una pass dis law; many Ghanaians don dey support dis law so make una no drag dis mata,” di catholic bishops conference leader add.
Bifor di 7 December 2024 elections, John Mahama wey be opposition leader at di time tell di BBC for one interview say im go study wetin dey inside di bill bifor dem go take action.
“Dis na family values bill wey parliament don unanimously approve. You see, dis LGBTQ activities dey against our culture and African culture wey im also dey against our religious faith; Muslim and Christian.”
Im add say “I tink say we gatz look at di bill, di president gatz indicate wetin im find wrong wit dat bill and send di bill back to parliament or im go fit carry go di council of state make dem advise on wetin dem go do, na so I go do”.
Di BBC ask am at di time if im ever go sign any anti-LGBTQ bill into law if im become president, dis na wetin John Mahama tok: “E go depend on wetin dey inside di bill.”
Wetin advocates/sponsors of di anti-LGBTQ bill tok
Some advocates of di anti-LGBTQ bill say dem dey disappointed say di ex president refuse to sign di bill into law bifor im step down from office.
Dem also say dem no understand di latest position of President John Mahama as im party, di NDC, bin use dis LGBTQ matter as one of dia main campaign message.
Chairman of di group advocates for Christ Ghana and governance sabi pesin Eden Senanu say im no understand wetin di president don dey tok about dis mata.
“We dey worry about di way dem dey shift di goalpost on dis matter, sake of wetin di president mean by say make dey look di bill again for consensus? Dis na bill wey parliament don pass unanimously, wia for di drafting stage, we invite input from every interest group bifor we pass di bill,” oga Senanu explain.
Im tok say “we go ask to meet di president for dis matter and tok am say dis no be time to start di process all ova sake of we already pass dat stage, also wetin di president and oda pipo bin dey tok say di anti-lgbtq bill expire for di last parliament no fit be di case, sake of di house of legislature already bin pass di bill, no be say e still dey parliament bifor di 8th parliament expire.”
Edem Senanu “e dey too early for di president to appear to dey shift di goalposts but dis an sometin we go watch as e don dey develop.”
You go remember say Eden Senanu wey be one of di sponsors of di anti-lgbtq bill togeda wit some lawmakers like Samuel George, Alhassan Suhuyini, Rev Ntim Fordjour, some clergy men and Ghanaians don stage demonstration on 8 October 2024 to pressure di Supreme Court and di president at di time to take action on di bill and sign it into law.
Amnesty International and oda rights groups still against di signing of di anti-lgbtq bill
Country director for Amnesty international Genevieve Partington tok BBC Pidgin say dem still dey insist say make di president no sign dis anti-lgbtq bill
“Our position neva change, we maintain say make di new president no sign dis bill, we know say dis goment also no go sign dis law di way e dey right now.”
Di Amnesty international boss say “di politicians diaserf sabi say to pass dis law go be financial loss to di state so dem no go do am.”
For di Amnesty international kontri director, Genevieve Partington, she maintain say to jail LGBT pesin, na bad tin.
“For dis law, di court go fit jail pesin wey chop accuse wrongly say dem be homosexual wia dem go suffer unfairly.”
E also tok say some of di clauses for di law no clear wey e go cause negative tins for pesin wia don dey targeted.
Amnesty international also dey against di part of di bill wey dey allow make pipo report lgbt activities or pipo wey dey engage in dis activities.
“Pipo fit tink say odas na gay sake of how dem dey waka or dia hairstyle. Dis na subjective mata wey go fit lead to di arrest of innocent pipo,” oga Genevieve don tok.
For members of di lgbtq community, dem still dey live in fear.
Some of dem tok BBC Pidgin say dem go jakpa for di kontri if dem don finally pass dis law.
“As tins dey now, we no fit to dey live our normal lives again. Since tok tok about dis bill don start, pipo dey attack some of us, wey we no dey feel safe anymore,” one of dem Sam Johnson, (no be im real name) tok di BBC.
Im add say “you go fit comot to town den pipo go dey look you anyhow, sometimes dem fit to dey gossip about us but we just wan live normal life like anybody for dis kontri.”
“Some of our members don comot di kontri to oda places for Europe sake of dem lose dia jobs, oda suffer physical abuse and oda tins. So dis law, if dem sign am, most of us go dey in more danger,” Nana Acquaye, anoda lgbtq pesin tok BBC pidgin.
Na time go tell how dis matter go unfold.
How di anti-LGBTQ bill wia parliament pass in Februray 2024 go work
For dis new human rights and sexual values bill 2024, pesin wey don engage for LGBTQ activities go fit go jail for between six months and three years.
Na so pesin wey advertise and promote LGBT activities go enta jail for up to ten years.
Dis advert or promotion go fit be through technology, social media or traditional media.
Also pesin wey sponsor LGBT activities go dey against di law.
Dis dey attract fine of not less dan 750 penalty units (9,000 Ghana cedis, $720) or not more dan 5,000 penalty units wey be (60,000 Ghana cedis, $4,800).
One clause for di law also dey criminalize physical attack on pipo wey dey involve in LGBT activities.
Anoda clause for di law prohibit formation of LGBT groups.
For pesin wey wan do gender reassignment through surgery, na crime for dis new law.
Such pipo also neva go fit adopt pikin for any facility or social welfare agency.
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