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The controversial anti-LGBTQ bill has been reintroduced in parliament, not at the behest of the Executive, but through a private member’s initiative led by the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, alongside several colleagues.
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Speaking on PM Express on Joy News on Tuesday night, the Communications Minister, Sam Nartey George, reiterated his commitment to the Ghanaian people and traditional leaders.
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“Four weeks and a few days ago, together with some of my colleagues, we reintroduced the bill as a private member’s bill,” he announced. “I have kept my fidelity and my promise to the Ghanaian people to reintroduce the bill.”
He acknowledged that President Mahama had indicated a preference for the bill to be reintroduced by the government. However, George maintained that his primary allegiance lay with his constituents.
“At my vetting, I was asked that question. My chiefs were sitting behind me, and I made the point clear,” he recalled.
“I have absolute respect and deference for President Mahama’s position. However, as a Member of Parliament, I owe fidelity as well to my chiefs and people.”
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According to him, his mandate was unambiguous: to advocate for the bill as a means of protecting what he termed “Ghanaian family values.”
“That was the mandate they gave me. And I told them that when the ninth Parliament resumed, I was going to reintroduce the bill. And I have done so.”
He clarified that although the government has the legal authority to assume control of the bill during its consideration, this has not occurred.
In the interim, the bill continues to progress through Parliament as a private member’s bill.
Addressing concerns about the bill’s apparent dormancy, he explained that logistical delays were responsible.
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“The committees of Parliament were only set up barely a week or two before Parliament’s dissolution. So it’s not like four years ago where we sent it straight to the Constitutional Legal Affairs Committee,” he said.
He noted that a new committee now handles private members’ bills, which has contributed to procedural delays.
“The parliamentary process takes a certain number of steps,” he added.
He cited his earlier experience with the initial version of the bill submitted in 2021, which did not see parliamentary action until the latter part of 2023.
“Yes, in 2021/22, there was a lot of conversation. But it was a media conversation. It was not a parliamentary movement.”
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However, with a current supermajority in the House, he expressed confidence that the process will be expedited.
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“We have a super majority. I expect it to move faster through Parliament this time,” he said.
“Because again, what we have presented is what the eighth Parliament approved and passed. We have not changed a single word.”
He added that the continuity in the bill’s content should preclude the need for prolonged public discourse.
“We don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” he stated.
With Parliament presently in recess, the MP looked ahead to the resumption of legislative business.
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“I’m hoping that when Parliament reconvenes, the new leadership of the Private Members Bill Committee will table this bill, work with expedition on it.”
“I have kept my fidelity and my promise,” he reiterated. “To the Ghanaian people. To my chiefs. To Parliament. And you have done same.”
Despite any delays, Sam Nartey George reaffirmed that the bill had already been reintroduced, driven by the same convictions that underpinned its original submission.