I will resign as chairman if the NDC MPs think I am not doing enough – Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi
Under-fire chairman of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi has stated his willingness to resign if the Minority Caucus members think he is not making enough headway with the anti-gay bill that is currently before parliament since other lawyers can also occupy the position of chair of the committee.
He wondered why the rush by sponsors of the bill to get it approved by the House.
Speaking during an interview on Accra-based 3FM, Friday, June 10, he said “…If they continue like this, I think there are other lawyers in the House, if they think that personally, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi is not making the bill work, I will resign as the chairman and they get another person to proceed with the bill.
“This is a Private Members Bill, I do not know why the urgency about this. There is already a law under our Criminal Offences Act about unnatural carnal knowledge. People even think that this bill, we are trying to give a right to the lesbians and the gay community, it is rather the opposite. What they are asking is that they should be punished up to imprisonment of five years even if you associate.”
The committee Chair’s comments come after the Minority expressed concerns over what they believed was an attempt to delay the passage of the anti-gay bill.
Muntaka Mubarak, legislator for Asawase said on the floor of the House on Wednesday, June 8 that until the bill is passed, even if the government introduces a bill that seeks to bring water to the people of his constituents, the NDC MPs will oppose it.
Muntaka explained that since the anti-gay bill was introduced, several other bills have come to Parliament and passed by the House. He suspected a deliberate attempt not to approve the bill.
“So far, as this constitution is concerned when we introduce a bill in this house and it is before the committee that committee must not spend more than three months without coming to tell us reasons why it has to go beyond the three months.
“…Since this is a matter that the Chair of the Constitutional and Legal Affairs wants to use to delay that bill, that bill was in this house before several other bills, I can assure you that any other bill introduced in this house, we shall resist it. Even if it is to provide water in Asawase we will resist it.
“We will make sure that that bill, as long as it stays there no other bill passes through this house.”
The controversial bill divided opinion in the Ghanaian public discourse.
While some, particularly the religious and traditional groupings, supported the Bill and were hopeful of its passing, others say it could incur the wrath of the international community against Ghana.
The bill is being promoted by Ningo-Prampram lawmaker Samuel Nartey George and some of his colleague legislators.
