Gov’t focus on provisions of basic needs, not Anti-LGBTQ Bill – Mahama

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President John Dramani Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has said Ghana is still grappling with the provisions of basic needs of education, health care, jobs, food, clothing, and shelter, which is his government’s main focus and not the Anti-LGBTQ Bill.

 According to John Mahama, the Anti-LGBTQ Bill, while important, is not Ghana’s most urgent concern at this time.

Speaking during a Presidential Dialogue with Civil Society Organisations at Jubilee House in Accra on Monday, March 30, Mahama stated, “We are still grappling with the provisions of basic needs of education, health care, jobs, food, clothing, and shelter”.

“While there are strong and differing views within our society, we believe that issues must be addressed through democratic processes, our core values, dialogue, and the rule of law,” he said.

Earlier, President John Mahama called on international partners to respect Ghana’s position on LGBTQ issues.

Mahama stressed that public policy is shaped by the country’s legal traditions, cultural values, and societal consensus.

According to John Mahama, Ghana’s democratic processes are actively at work to ensure that any outcome of the anti-LGBTQ bill reflects the views of the people.

President Mahama made these known when he received the ‘International Statesperson Award’ from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia.

He stated, “The issue of LGBTQ rights is emotive, and they are not completely settled in terms of their nuances and arguments, not only in Ghana but all over the world.

Even in the United States, you still have discourse on LGBTQ rights. There are still 26 states in America that have legislation that restricts LGBTQ rights.

For a country like Ghana, our democracy is playing in respect to what those rights are. The bill in parliament is not a government bill, it is a private members’ bill, and so parliament hold that bill for now.

What the eventual nature of the bill would be, nobody can second-guess Parliament, and I, as President, cannot anticipate Parliament in respect of that bill. But I believe that our democracy will work out. Memoranda are being accepted from people from all walks of life.

“Civil Society Organisations are presenting their papers to Parliament, and I believe that the representatives of the people will make the will of Ghanaians reflect in whatever eventually comes out,” he said.

I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, and so the representatives of the people will discuss the bill once they pass it, and then it comes to the presidency. 

I believe that our international partners should understand that public policy is grounded in our legal traditions, in our cultural context, and in our social consensus, and all those issues are playing out as we speak.”

In related news, Senyo Hosi, a Finance and economic policy analyst, has told President John Dramani Mahama that his honeymoon period back in government is over.

According to Senyo Hosi, the Mahama government must focus on substantive issues that affect our people, like production and employment for our youth.

He detailed that the Ghanaians will soon stop discussing the sins of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as they start to demand accountability from the Mahama government.

Senyo Hosi is quoted to have said, “People now are going to stop discussing what Nana Addo was like. People are now going to hold this government accountable for their own aspirations as human beings, as Ghanaians and their expectations of governance.

Real lives are at stake, and real questions will start being asked. Nana Addo is fast becoming history in people’s expectations and people’s problems about governance. People have accountability issues. Are you really delivering accountability beyond the press conferences and saying…Who has become accountable after over a whole year in office?

We were having conversations with the transport minister about the efficiency of procurement, about you still doing single sourcing. People are seeing these things and will start judging you on its own merit”.

He added, This is the defining year for John Mahama; the real state of his government will be evaluated after this year. Next year is campaign mode, and there will be a lot of disruption, but this is an indication that your honeymoon is over, so please get focused on the substantive issues that affect our people. Production, employment for our youth, we are looking clearly about accountability”.

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