More faith-based leaders call for broader discussions on anti-gay bill

By Richard Kofi Boahen originally posted on modernghana.com

More religious and faith-based leaders continue to add their voices to the call for further discussions on the much-talked about Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, also called the anti-gay Bill.

The Bill, which was passed by Parliament in February this year, is yet to receive presidential assent due to some legal tussles around it.

Some of the religious leaders believe that the Bill, as it stands now, appears to be politically motivated and that the personal interests of those behind it have overshadowed the national interest.

This came to light in Techiman in the Bono East Region during a social dialogue with religious and faith-based leaders on human rights and rights-based approach to protecting and respecting the rights of sexual minorities in Ghana.

It was organised by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), an independent, not-for-profit research and advocacy think tank working to advance democracy, good governance and inclusive economic growth, in collaboration with the Centre for Religion and Public Life (CRPL-Ghana), a civil society group.

CDD-Ghana works to complement the broader objectives of strengthening democratic governance, the principles of popular participation and the demand for public accountability while CRPL[1]Ghana seeks to balance religion and spirituality in public life through research, education, lobbying and advocacy.

It became obvious during the dialogue session that a sizeable number of the populace has neither read nor been taken through the bill but are emotionally in support of it primarily based on their religious and cultural inclinations and what they have heard through the media.

Broader consultations

“There should have been a broader consultation for inputs from various interest groups because the Bill in its current state violates the fundamental human rights of some people. Even though we don’t accept LGBTQI+ but it’s too harsh to my liking and it must be reconsidered. Some aspects of Bill must not be allowed to remain and so I suggest that Parliament should float the process again for further discussions before it is laid on the floor again,” said Rev. Robert Boadi, the head pastor of the Techiman branch of the Evangelical Church of Ghana in an interview on the sidelines of the dialogue.

For his part, Rev. Augustine Agyapong Bae of the Trinity Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Techiman, wondered why the seeming pressure to pass the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill today when Ghana’s current criminal code and other legal frameworks under the 1992 Constitution adequately deal with all the issues raised in the bill.

“I thought there were no laws in our statutes that deal with some of these things, but I have come to realise that there are laws that can adequately deal with anyone who engages in gay or lesbianism. We’re not saying nobody can make laws in the country, but it should be devoid of politics and emotions so that we don’t regret our actions in future,” he again said.

For his part, Rev. William Appiah Kubi, the head pastor of the Faith Baptist Church in Techiman, said the dialogue session had enlightened him and his colleagues on the Bill.

He noted that the proponents of the Bill appeared to have rushed the process leading to its passage without adequate consultations, adding that there are several provisions of the Bill that should either be revised or taken out completely because of their tendency to infringe upon other people’s fundamental human rights.

He said: “There will be a lot of chaos if this Bill is allowed to come into effect, so I think we need to broaden the discussion further for people to be adequately informed about the various provisions of it.”

Most participants also expressed similar concerns during separate interviews.

Dr. Michael Augustus Akagbor, Senior Programmes Officer of CDD-Ghana, was happy about the outcome of the dialogue, and gave the assurance that more of such engagements would be organised, going forward.

Misconceptions

 “Usually, people come for such a programme with their preconceived perceptions, but through engagements we realised that a lot of the participants have not even read the Bill, and that’s the danger of language. These are people of authority, and once they say something people consider it to be true. So, it’s good that we’ve been able to engage with them,” he stated.

He said CDD-Ghana would continue to engage with various stakeholder groups on the issue, adding that “the more people understand this Bill, the more they come to the realization that it is not good for our country.”

 The Executive Director of the CRPL-Ghana, Rev. Dr. Confidence Bansah, reminded religious leaders to mindful of the teachings of Jesus Christ, which are mainly centred on peace, love and reconciliation. He said Christians are the salt and the light of the world and must therefore act in a way that would ensure that people live in unity and in harmony devoid of any discrimination.

https://www.modernghana.com/news/1326278/more-faith-based-leaders-call-for-broader-discussi.html