Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, the Member of Parliament for Ho West, has called on Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to demonstrate his commitment to preserving Ghanaian culture by urging President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to assent to the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values (Anti-LGBTQ+) Bill.

Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah's comment comes after Dr. Bawumia recently pledged to protect Ghanaian culture and family values if elected President.

Bedzrah contends that as the current Vice President, Dr. Bawumia is in a position to influence the President's decisions now rather than waiting until after the 2024 elections.

"If he is man enough to rule this country, he should be able to tell his boss, that look my boss (President Akufo-Addo), this is our cultural value, please sign this bill," myjoyonline.com quoted him to have said during an interview on Joy FM on August 19, 2024.

He emphasised that Ghana does not need mere promises to safeguard cultural values but requires concrete laws to prevent the erosion of these values.

He argued that enacting the law is more critical than any manifesto promise regarding protecting family values.

"This strategy of hiding behind words is like trying to dissociate himself from the actions of the current regime. He cannot escape responsibility for what has been done under this government.

"It doesn't work there. I mean, he cannot run away from any act that has been committed by the current regime," he added.

The object of the Bill is to provide for proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values, which proscribes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+), and related activities and also criminalises their promotion, advocacy, and funding.

Persons caught in these acts would be subjected to six months to a three-year jail term, with promoters and sponsors bearing three to five years of jail term.

The Bill would now require presidential assent to come into force.

AM/SEA

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