adverts
Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, has advised President Nana Akufo-Addo against assenting to the controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill before the end of his administration.
Blay expressed concerns that the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, popularly known as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, is unnecessary and could invite sanctions from Ghana’s development partners.
The anti-LGBTQ+ bill seeks to criminalise activities associated with LGBTQI advocacy, imposing penalties on individuals promoting or funding such activities.
adverts
The bill has sparked intense debate within Ghana and beyond.
Speaking on GHOne TV’s Hard Talk, Mr. Blay argued that LGBTQ+ issues have not posed significant challenges in Ghana, and the country’s existing laws are sufficient to address them.
He further suggested that endorsing the bill could lead to economic repercussions due to potential sanctions from international development partners.
“I don’t agree that they should assent to it now. To me, my position on LGBT is that it was unnecessary; it has not been a big problem in this country. We have strong cultures and subcultures; we have individuals who may step out of line over some strong beliefs here and there. But the laws of this country adequately cater to it,” Mr. Blay said.
He emphasised that the President-elect, John Mahama, should handle the matter, as the bill’s key advocates come from his political faction.
“Let them push it; it will take a few weeks, and then it will be brought back again. Let the new president assent to it,” he suggested.
Mr. Blay warned that endorsing the bill could trigger sanctions from Ghana’s development partners, potentially affecting critical economic aid.
“If I were Akufo-Addo, I wouldn’t do that because our development partners and co. have indicated clearly that they think it’s an abuse of human rights. For that reason, if you go ahead and assent to it, they may apply certain sanctions and withdraw or withhold some assistance that they have to give to this country,” he explained.
He underlined the importance of maintaining Ghana’s relationships with international bodies such as the IMF, whose support is crucial for the nation’s economic stability.
“I take it very seriously. Those assistance if they don’t come, if the IMF doesn’t give us the help that we need because they think it’s an affront to human rights and so forth, we stand to lose. We stand to have created for ourselves and our economy serious problems,” Mr. Blay cautioned.
