Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko has told parliament that, albeit a democratic exercise, their passage of the anti-lgbtq bill is a harsher one.
The Member of the current ruling government and cousin to the president, made this known through a lengthy tweet[thread] on X (formerly Twitter).
In his tweet, he acknowledged that the fear of members of the house losing their seats for courting support for the lgbtq community created a crux of fear among them so they remained mute.
“…democratically passed a harsher anti-LGBTQ Bill. Yes, democratically! In fact the threat of being unseated for standing for the rights of gays, etc, certainly created its own culture of silence in the House!,” the tweet said.
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According to him, such decisions have their intended consequences, not only for the populace but the country in itself and expects Ghanaians to understand that when the repercussions hit us. He further charged the media and politicians alike to intensify education on the pros and cons of the recently passed bill.
“But, Ghanaians must also understand that it comes with consequences. Choices have consequences. We expect the media and the politicians to be fair to the people by letting them know the pros and cons of this decision to impose stiffer penalties against gays, etc.,” part of the tweet said.
Find the full statement below:
Ghana’s parliament, in which is vested the sovereign will of the people, has democratically passed a harsher anti-LGBTQ Bill. Yes, democratically! In fact the threat of being unseated for standing for the rights of gays, etc, certainly created its own culture of silence in the House! But, it is the decision of Parliament and one which enjoys huge popular support in the country.
The world must understand that. But, Ghanaians must also understand that it comes with consequences. Choices have consequences. We expect the media and the politicians to be fair to the people by letting them know the pros and cons of this decision to impose stiffer penalties against gays, etc. We also expect those who believe the bill is constitutionally wrong to do what is right and go to court.
That is democracy! Our institutions of democracy are still strong and alive. Let’s have faith in our democracy. Let’s respect the choices we make and their consequences and believe in the process. Ghana remains a sovereign state, with cultural norms that cannot be wished away but must be respected. I still believe, though, that we can balance our traditional family values with our traditional values of tolerance and diversity. That’s the Ghanaian way. The Ghanaian culture. The Ghanaian spirit. Our history. Our DNA. That is Ghanaian.
Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko is one of the few people close to the corridors of power who has openly protested the passage of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill. He’s used his social media to advocate for a balance between respecting the sensibilities of the vast majority & protecting the human rights of the few.
Many like him have expressed worry over the passage of the bill. Many have also alluded to fear as being the primal factor why many of the lawmakers in the house didn’t fight the bill. Surprisingly, even for the most touted human rights advocates in the house, their little to no resistance to this draconian bill came a little surprising – with them choosing the next elections over the rights of the minority.