Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has defended Parliament’s passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, insisting that the process complied with parliamentary procedures and does not need to be revisited.
His comments follow concerns raised by Speaker Alban Bagbin, who directed Parliament to revisit the bill after questioning aspects of the process that led to its passage on May 29.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on June 2, Ayariga maintained that the bill was validly passed and dismissed suggestions of procedural irregularities.
“My view is that there’s really nothing to really consider. We promised Ghanaians that we will pass a law prohibiting LGBTQ. We will pass a law prohibiting the promotion of LGBTQ. We will pass a law that does not allow us to recognise marriage by people of the same gender. We will pass a law punishing people who are luring children into the practice and also punish those who are financing and sponsoring their promotion,” he explained.
Ayariga said concerns about the required 24-hour interval between stages of consideration were addressed through a motion to abridge time, which he said was approved by the First Deputy Speaker, allowing the House to proceed with the bill.
Earlier, Speaker Bagbin said Parliament should revisit the bill because the bipartisan support reflected in the committee report was not clearly demonstrated during proceedings on the floor.
“Neither did the proceedings of that day convey the unanimity, nor bipartisan understanding upon which the bill was initially promoted and deliberated upon,” he said.
The speaker argued that legislation of such significance should be backed by broad parliamentary consensus and strict adherence to constitutional and parliamentary procedures.
“The legitimacy, credibility, and enduring authority of any law depend not only on the objectives sought to be achieved, but also on the integrity of the process by which the law is enacted,” he noted.
The disagreement adds to ongoing debate over the bill, which must still go through additional constitutional processes before it can become law.
Source: classfmonline.com
