LGBTQ+ Bill: NDC and Mahama have been dishonest with Ghanaians – Minority
The Minority Caucus in Parliament has accused the ruling National Democratic Congress and President John Mahama of hypocrisy and deception, following Parliament’s passage of a different version of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill last week.
The bill passed by the NDC Majority last week has been described by many as weaker than the original 2024 version, after about 30 clauses were withdrawn.
In a statement, the Minority called for the restoration of the original bill passed by the 8th Parliament in 2024. It accused the NDC and its leaders, including President Mahama and Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, of supervising two contradictory bills on the same issue.
“The NPP has always been consistent in its support of our society’s family values and against the normalisation of LGBTQ+. Yet, the NDC disregarded all that to falsely portray the NPP as supportive of LGBTQ+ interests, mobilised religious leaders, and urged Ghanaians to vote against the NPP in order to give the Bill what they claimed was its only realistic chance of becoming law,” the statement said.
The Minority added that having secured power on the strength of its relentless campaign on LGBTQ+, the NDC now owes Ghanaians the fulfilment of its promises. Ghanaians, it said, are entitled to expect the John Mahama administration to “honour, without equivocation,” the commitments made regarding the 2024 Bill passed by the 8th Parliament.
“Yet, upon assuming office, the NDC has taken a markedly different position. The re-introduced Private Members Bill has undergone thirty-one amendments, fundamentally altering provisions NDC MPs were earlier against amending. The NPP holds that this heavily amended Bill represents a clear departure from the NDC’s 2024 position and a fundamental breach of faith with the Ghanaian people.”
The Minority described it as “strange and hypocritical” for the NDC to have demanded immediate presidential assent to the 2024 Bill, only to return to Parliament and substantially rewrite that same bill upon assuming office.
“These extensive amendments betray principle, expose the political insincerity of the NDC’s earlier posture, and affirm that the NDC cannot be trusted.”
*SAME SPEAKER, DIFFERENT BILLS*
The Minority also criticised Speaker Alban Bagbin for presiding over an institution that has passed two conflicting bills.
“Even though he did not personally preside on the day this Parliament passed the Bill, it is that same Rt. Hon. Alban S. K. Bagbin who, having been returned as Speaker of the 9th Parliament, now heads the Parliament that has passed a Bill bearing 31 amendments to the very legislation he once championed and protected.”
*CONTRADICTIONS BY NDC*
The statement also highlighted contradictions within the NDC, which it said showed the party’s unanimous vote for the 2024 Bill was not an act of goodwill but a calculated political statement of convenience and deceit.
“Matters have been further complicated by conflicting positions within the ruling party itself. After the amended Bill was passed, President Mahama publicly suggested that the House may have lacked the requisite quorum. The Speaker has called for the Bill to be returned to the floor for a fresh Consideration Stage, while the Majority Leader has publicly disagreed.”
“The NPP believes these contradictions reflect an attempt to frustrate the Bill’s enactment, while managing the political consequences of abandoning a position that the NDC once vigorously championed.”
*MAHAMA’S LACK OF COMMITMENT*
The Minority also slammed President Mahama for demonstrating a lack of commitment to sign the bill during his recent visit to the United Kingdom.
“We note also that President John Dramani Mahama, in remarks made during his public engagement at Chatham House in London this week, appeared to suggest that his administration is in no hurry whatsoever to see the Bill become law. We have further been reliably informed that certain assurances were given by the President to the British Prime Minister at No. 10 Downing Street that the Bill remains far from becoming law.”
“If accurate, such assurances would represent a remarkable departure from the urgency with which the NDC pursued this matter while in opposition and would further reinforce concerns regarding the Government’s consistency, credibility and commitment on the issue.”
The Minority stressed that the main issue before the country has never been whether Ghanaians support the values embodied in the 2024 Bill.
“That is not in doubt. The real issue is whether the NDC can be trusted. It is obvious the NDC is not prepared to stand by the position it campaigned on while in opposition, defended in Parliament, and presented to the Ghanaian people before assuming office.”
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