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Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu has said that the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin cannot dictate for the House when it comes to voting on the Bill seeking to criminalise Lesbianism, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) in the country.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on October 12, 2021, he argued that the speaker cannot dictate for the House because he is not a member of Parliament.
“Technically, the Speaker is not a Member of Parliament. The speaker cannot commit Parliament. He can make referrals to Parliament which would be programmed by the Business Committee for consideration.”
“I would find it difficult if you have a speaker who in spite of his own antecedent as a former Member of Parliament, to say that Parliament is going to pass the bill.
“I am not saying Parliament is not going to pass it, but I am saying the speaker shouldn’t make a predetermination for the house because he is not a Member of Parliament and this is a business of the Members of Parliament,” the Suame MP added.
On June 15, 2021, Alban Bagbin while responding to a political activist’s letter for Parliament to amend Ghana’s human rights law, to fight LGBTs and their Activities in Ghana indicated that measures are being put in place to speed up the process of passing the bill.
“Urgent actions are being taken to pass a law to eventually nib the activities of these groups in the bud. Stakeholder consultations are also ongoing and the results will feed into a Bill that will eventually be passed into law by Parliament” the former Nadowli-Kaleo MP said.
