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Majority Leader of Parliament, Hon Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has debunked the assertion by the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members in Parliament, especially Sam George, MP for Ningo Prampram that the discussion of the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill has been reduced to partisanship.

According to the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Suame Constituency in the Ashanti Region, he has never politicised the bill.

Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Hon. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu explained that even though when the bill was signed and taken to Parliament he was not in the country, he heard that apart from the NPP MP for Assin South Constituency, Hon Ntim Fordjour who signed, others were absent during the signing of the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill.

He noted that the crusaders of the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill decided not to include the names of other NPP MPs in the bill because they were not there to sign it; defusing the claim that it was only one NPP MP who was involved in the LGBTQ+ Bill.

He indicated that he could not have spoken for or against the bill as he did not know the genesis of the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill and also based on the fact that he was not there when the discussion on the bill started.

“I don’t think that they made it open for members to include their names to support the bill. If you look at the members who signed the bill, I get the impression that maybe the members are from the Christian Fellowship in Parliament and I believe that was where the discussion started from,” he asserted.

He again refuted the allegation that he is fighting the Rt. Hon. Speaker Alban Bagbin over the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill; thus, he is only concerned about the fact that the comment of the Speaker of Parliament could be taken as pre-determinant of the bill.

“It is not true that I want to politicise the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill. The NDC is rather introducing partisanship in the bill. How can I fight Bagbin in this case? I cannot fight him. As I listen to the commentaries on the bill, most of the people are saying that we should discuss it constitutionally, because some people are saying that we should stone the homosexuals who are caught in the act,” he noted.

“All that I have insisted is that our constitution enjoins us to enact an act in a lawful manner and so I said that the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill should be guided by the law in the constitution so that it can stand the test of time. If I say this, does it mean that I am supporting LGBTQ+ activities? He wondered.

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