KT Hammond Explains Why MPs Were Quiet During Consideration Of The Anti-LGBT+ Bill

The Member of Parliament for Adansi-Asokwa constituency in the Ashanti Region, Kobina Tahir Hammond, popularly known as K.T. Hammond, has explained why no Member of Parliament rose against the anti-LGBT+ Bill during its consideration stage.

He said it was due to the delicate nature and complexity of the Bill under consideration.

Speaking before the third reading of the Bill for its passage on February 28, he warned the House not to go against the provisions of the 1992 constitution.

“Mr. Speaker, in all of this, some of us have been very quiet when all the issues came up, particularly the day you caught everybody by surprise and said whoever wants to speak against the LGBT BILL should rise up in their space, not a single soul was able to rise up in their space. It all shows how delicate and complicated this matter is. But Mr Speaker, no matter how delicate or complicated this matter is, I think we must be careful not to offend against the tenets of the constitution. Everybody accepts that ultimately the supreme law of the country is the constitution,” he stated.

His argument comes after the Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, called for the amendment of clause 12 of the Bill.

The Effutu lawmaker proposed replacing a minimum two-month imprisonment sentence with a minimum one-month community service for individuals found guilty of LGBT+ activities.

Afenyo-Markin argued that punitive measures would not contribute to the rehabilitation of the offenders.

He expressed concerns about the state of the country’s prisons and their inability to provide the necessary rehabilitation for offenders.

However, following this comment, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, put the question before the House again, asking if members supported the amendment, but the ‘No(s)’ had it.

 

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