Member of Parliament for South Dayi constituency, Rockson Dafeamekpor
Member of Parliament for South Dayi constituency, Rockson Dafeamekpor is daring a group made up of academics, lawyers, researchers, Civil Society Organizations and human rights activists who have kicked against the current bill before Parliament which seeks to criminalise and impose jail terms on LGBTQ+ to go to the Supreme Court to challenge it when it becomes a law.
According to the group, the bill (Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill) when passed into law, would erode fundamental human rights, as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, and send Ghana to the dark ages of lawlessness and intolerance.
The group, made up of 18 members, has already submitted a 30-page memorandum to Parliament, detailing what it described as the unconstitutionality of the bill; adding that its advocacy was not about whether lesbianism or gayism was right or wrong, but rather it was worried about the blatant violations of human rights, as contained in the bill.
Reacting on Okay FM’s ‘Ade Akye Abia’ Morning Show to the group led by lawyer Akoto Ampaw, Hon. Dafeamekpor acknowledging receipt of the memo from the group in Parliament said that the memo simply is seeking the scrapping of the bill contrary to the media report that the group’s advocacy was not about whether right or wrong of the LGBTQ+.
He stressed that the group in their memorandum to Parliament did not go straight to the point but sought to insult Parliament as it describes the conduct of the House as unbecoming of a modern Parliament, making it appear as if the House doesn’t know what it is doing.
“So they are not even making suggestions to the contents of the bill. It is a wholesome attack against the bill; that it should not be passed at all. That is what they wrote in the memo and they followed it up with a press conference,” he asserted.
He asserted that the members of the group fighting the LGBTQ+ Bill benefit from the homosexuals in terms of consultations, thus, they have team up to fight the bill to protect their interests.
“. . he is fighting for faceless people. If he speaks for a minority group of people, they must be identifiable people and not any imaginary minority . . . we want to know who these minority groups are for which he is fighting for their rights. We will listen to them in parliament and we will continue to do our work, and if they are not happy with it, they should go to the Supreme Court,” he dared.
“ . . he should show me the minority that he knows to be gay and lesbians who have formed an association to conclude that when the bill is passed their rights or freedom will be violated. He should show me the minority,” he added.