By Charles Ampong

Ghana’s Parliament recently voted and passed a controversial anti-gay bill to severely restrict LGTBQ+ activities in the country, and the passage of the bill has been condemned by some human rights activists.

There have been mixed reactions among Ghanaians as to whether the President should sign the bill into law.

In Kumasi, the ex-chief of Kwapra within the Suame Municipality of the Ashanti Region, Baafuor Adu Gyamfi Kumanin, has also added his voice to the ongoing anti-gay bill debate.

According to him, he is not against Parliament for passing this controversial bill to punish those who indulge in LGTBQ+ acts, as well as those who promote the rights of gays, lesbians and other non-conventional sexual identities with fine or imprisonment.

He explained that his only concern is where the LGTBQ+ law clearly seeks to also deal with any landlord who hosts or accommodates those who practise gayism, lesbianism, etc.

The ex-Kwaprahene has, therefore, proposed to Parliament to go back and reconsider that particular section or portion in the bill, since landlords are not “magicians” to know someone’s sexual orientation and what tenants do secretly in their rooms.

Baafuor Adu Gyamfi Kumanin

He said since the court requires facts and evidence for prosecution, it would be very difficult on the part of landlords to catch them red-handed and get evidence for prosecution.

He said Parliament had passed a death warrant bill for so many years yet since 1992 when our constitutional democracy started, no President had ever signed the warrant under the order from the court for criminals who torment people’s lives.

He said Ghanaians should rather push the President to sign the death warrant whenever the court issues an order.

According to him, the most annoying part is that after these criminals have destroyed or taken away someone’s life, we put them in prisons and feed them from our coffers.